March 2021 - Total Food Service

NEWS

HOTEL FOOD & BEVERAGE

NYC’S MARRIOTT MARQUIS SET TO OUTSOURCE $50 MILLION PLUS FOOD & BEVERAGE OPERATION

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he great Pandemic of 2020 has had massive impact throughout all segments of foodservice. So, news that New York City’s largest hotel is set to take food and beverage in a different direction may not be stunning on the surface. However, the size and scope of the Marriott Marquis food and beverage operation is eye opening.

The 1,966 room Times Square facility has confirmed that they will be outsourcing their entire restaurant and catering operations. The hotel has in fact gone out to bid with a contract that is estimated to be worth in excess of $50 million per year.

The Request For Proposal process has begun with contract feeders being invited to bid on the Marquis contract. It is expected that finalists will be selected this month and that the contract will go into effect on May 15, 2022.

The move comes on the heels of the termination in December of approximately 850 Marriott employees in the Food & Beverage Department and in some other departments, including housekeeping.

As with many New York City hotels, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to Marriott looking to reduce costs in New York and other major markets across the country by shedding long-term employees and replacing them with a subcontracted workforce. In unionized Marriott

hotels in New York City, union workers did not have their jobs subcontracted, shining a spotlight on the importance of union protections.

With foodservice off the table, the local Hotel Trades Council Union set its sights on unionizing housekeeping workers. “Our union already had an ongoing organizing effort in progress, including a strong organizing committee who were doing their best to convince their coworkers to sign up with the Union,” Director of Organizing Julia Rybak remarked.

This led to the successful unionization of the Marquis housekeeping staff last month. “The shock of the massive food and beverage termination provided the final push to

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give the Union a super-majority,” Rybak continued. “This is a bittersweet victory because 850 Marquis workers learned, too late, that corporations are not driven by sentimental feelings like loyalty.”

Now the Union represents both the Marquis and the Marriott Downtown, which was organized on December 10th, and the Union intends to negotiate excellent contracts as soon as possible.

Workers in the hotel’s Food and Beverage department were told they would not receive priority to be rehired if their positions eventually return. There had been discussion with State Sen. Brad Hoylman’s office about introducing a “right of recall” bill at the state level, which

would require employers to re-hire former workers if their jobs come back.

It would seem as if the end result is that HTC-Union picked its battle and that was to choose between housekeeping and food and beverage. “Even though it took longer than we would have liked, we are delighted that the Marriott Marquis is now a union hotel and we warmly welcome the Marquis workers into our ranks,” added HTC President Rich Maroko. “As challenging as this crisis has been for our 40,000 members and their families, the workers we represent can rest assured that when tourism comes back to New York City, they will have the legal right to go back to their jobs.”

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March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 3

NEWS

RESTAURANT MARKETING

SHAKE SHACK SET TO COLLABORATE WITH ALL STAR LINEUP OF CHEFS

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hake Shack has enlisted some culinary heavy hitters for a new experience that will give back to the local community and hard-hit restaurant industry.

The fast-casual burger chain announced, “Now Serving,” a yearlong series of regional collaborations with well-known chefs and restaurateurs across the U.S. and exclusive, limited-time menu items with a portion of net proceeds to benefit local food nonprofits.

The gourmet event kicks off March 4 with Chris Shepherd, owner and executive chef of Underbelly Hospitality in Houston, with net proceeds going towards the Southern Smoke Foun-

dation, a crisis relief organization for people in the food and beverage industry co-founded by Shepherd.

“We are proud to announce that Southern Smoke Foundation has distributed $5M to food & beverage industry individuals since the COVID-19 pandemic began nearly one year ago, “Shepard noted. “This is a huge milestone for our team & community, and we can’t thank you enough for helping us.”

Other participating chefs include Pinky Cole of Slutty Vegan in Atlanta, Dominique Crenn of Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, Junghyun Park of Atoboy and Atomix in New York, Joseph “JJ” Johnson of FIELDTRIP in New

York and Sarah Grueneberg of Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio in Chicago, among others.

“We’re thrilled to partner with some of the best chefs in the country for this series while giving back to the restaurant community during these difficult times,” Mark Rosati, Culinary Director at Shake Shack, said in a statement.

“Now Serving brings together a unique vision and style from top chefs who share our passion and commitment, paired with our roadside-inspired classics, and we can’t wait to show our Shack fans what we’re cooking up.”

The full schedule for Now Serving

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Main Office 282 Railroad Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830 Publishers Leslie & Fred Klashman Advertising Director Michael Scinto Art & Web Director Mark Sahm Director of Public Relations and Special Events Joyce Appelman Contributing Writers Morgan Tucker Francine Cohen Leslie Super Editorial Interns Wyatt Semenuk Claudia Giunta Paola Zevallos Juliette Miettunen Phone: 203.661.9090 Fax: 203.661.9325 Email: tfs@totalfood.com Web: www.totalfood.com

continued on page 102

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Cover photo courtesy of Dirt Candy Total Food Service ISSN No. 1060-8966 is published monthly by IDA Publishing, Inc., 282 Railroad Ave., Greenwich, CT 06830. Phone: 203.661.9090. This issue copyright 2021 by IDA Publishing Inc. Contents in full or part may not be reproduced without permission. Not responsible for advertisers claims or statements.

Periodicals Postage paid at the post office, Greenwich, CT and additional mailing offices. Additional entry at the post office in Pittsburgh, PA. Subscription rate in USA is $36 per year; single copy, $3.00. Postmaster: Send address changes to Total Food Service, P.O. Box 2507, Greenwich, CT 06836

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March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 5

NEWS

GHOST KITCHENS

FIERI RETURNS TO NEW YORK AS PART OF NATIONAL GHOST KITCHEN ROLLOUT

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ood Network celebrity chef Guy Fieri is rapidly rolling out a new delivery-only restaurant chain that adopts the “ghost kitchen” concept instead of a static brick-and-mortar sit-down establishment.

Fieri’s Flavortown Kitchens are operated out of existing brick-and-mortar kitchens. The new chain has multiple outlets in 24 states, with most locations having launched in the last two months.

Flavortown is partnered with Robert Earl, the Planet Hollywood founder, in a company called Virtual Dining Concepts (VDC), a company that trades in virtual kitchens to help existing restaurants gain extra revenue from celebrity-branded concepts. This marks a return to New York for Earl who brought the All-Star Cafe to New York twenty years ago with partners including hockey’s Wayne Gretzky.

With Earl and Virtual Dining’s expertise, Flavortown has found homes in Buca di Beppo, Bertucci’s, and Brio kitchens across the country. Food can be ordered through the Flavortown Kitchen website or through most delivery services including DoorDash, UberEats, Postmates and Grubhub.

The menu showcases a colorful array of Fieri-branded creations including jalapeño pig poppers stuffed with andouille sausage and pimento cream cheese and wrapped in bacon; bourbon brown sugar barbecue wings; and SM-Cheesesteak egg rolls. For those unfamiliar with Fierispeak, SMC stands for “Super Melty Cheese,”.

Fieri is best known for his Food Network shows Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Guy’s Grocery Games. He’s built up an empire that includes his name on 14 other brands around the world.

With a goal of the second time being a charm, Fieri returns to new space in Times Square. Flavortown Kitchen is located at 1540 Broadway, at the corner of West 45th Street and Seventh Avenue. The NYC burger-and-wings shop is one of dozens of Flavortown Kitchen shops that have recently opened up across the country, with other locations popping up in cities including Las Vegas, Dallas, Boston, and Washington, D.C. Fieri’s joins several celebrity concepts under Earl’s Virtual Dining Concepts umbrella. Virtual Dining Concepts is also behind rapper Tyga’s delivery-only chicken “bites” , Mario Lopez and DJ Pauly D. Mariah Carey’s cookie delivery business, among other ventures,

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“Virtual Dining Concepts (VDC) offers traditional restaurant owners a low risk, all in one solution to launch a profitable delivery-only restaurant concept in their existing kitchen operations, with zero upfront fees.” — Robert Earl “We are restaurant owners that have created a company for restaurant owners,” Earl explained. “Virtual Dining Concepts (VDC) offers traditional restaurant owners a low risk, all in one solution to launch a profitable delivery-only restaurant concept in their existing kitchen operations, with zero upfront fees.”

Recognized as a leading figure in the hospitality, lodging, gaming and food & beverage industries, Earl is the former CEO of Hard Rock Cafe and current founder / chairman of Planet Hollywood International, Inc. and

Earl Enterprises, which specializes in restaurant and hospitality branding, marketing and operations with a vast collection of brick and mortar restaurants including Buca di Beppo®, Bertucci’s®, Earl of Sandwich®, Chicken Guy®, Asian Street Eats™, Mixology101™, Seaside on the Pier™, Rock & Reilly’s®, Warrior™, and Tequila Taqueria™.

In 2020, Earl acquired two additional brands specializing in Italian Cuisine, Brio® Italian Grille and Bravo!® Italian Kitchen. Now together with his son, Robbie Earl, they’re leading the wave of the future of restaurants with virtual kitchens and delivery-only restaurant concepts.

The new Fieri venture has been spurred by the pandemic’s shut-down of indoor dining and limited outdoor options, ghost kitchens – sometimes called virtual brands or delivery-only concepts are booming. Market research firm Euromonitor estimates they could be a $1 trillion business by 2030. The ghost kitchen concept already has spawned several companies, including CloudKitchens, started by former Uber founder and CEO Travis Kalanick.

March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 7

PACKAGING MATTERS

WITH LAURA CRAVEN

STRATEGIES FOR NAVIGATING A COMPLICATED PACKAGING MARKETPLACE

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or many of our restaurant customers the Pandemic forced them to either grow or begin takeout and delivery offerings to survive and, in many cases, develop a new source of revenue that will become a permanent addition to their business model.

With that new strategy has come a new understanding and approach to the role of packaging. What used to be an occasional doggie-bag for your patrons or random carryout order has evolved into a full off-premise dining program.

Now, with so much dependence on packaging, you may find yourself struggling to source everything you need to operate a successful takeout and delivery operation. Meanwhile you’re also focusing on ensuring what you sell replicates what your loyal customers have come to expect from you when they eat in your dining room.

That means everything from a crispy French fry to piping hot paella cooked to order.

My goal is to help you navigate how to accomplish that.

First, it is important to consider how this part of your business fits from a P&L standpoint. We suggest that operators plan about 5% of their revenue for their packaging and non-food supply budget. This is an industry average and a good place to start.

The next decision is where are you going to source these products. Consider how the importance of takeout and delivery has evolved through the Pandemic. Before COVID shutdowns, packaging may not have been top of mind for most full-service restaurants.

With so much at stake now, you need options that are well-suited to your menu and operation. When a soggy French fry can lead to devastating

“That brand of container you’ve been using for years can be replaced by something new on the market that will perform equally and have a 30% cost savings.” social media reviews, you need the right packaging. Work with a distributer that specialized in these product lines. One with experienced product consultants that will share their expertise and develop a program fit for your needs today.

It’s been interesting over the last year, to watch our team work virtually with their restaurant and foodservice customers. They embraced technology and, when in person visits were not feasible, used FaceTime or other apps to preform virtual sales calls and develop packaging strategies. We are all looking forward to getting back to visiting our customers in person on a regular basis. This will always be a hands-on industry.

We have long term relationships with a wide variety of operators including fast casual chains. We leverage

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the experience we have from developing packaging programs for those customers to help full-service restaurants who are now focusing on off-premise sales. In fast casual, almost every menu item required packaging. Often those containers, cups, and bags are part of a branding strategy. Those operators also understand that their food may travel in a package for 30 minutes or more before being consumed. By borrowing the packaging playbook from the fast casual segment, other operators can successfully develop their off-premise packaging program.

During the Pandemic, operators have come to understand the value of leakproof and tamper-evident containers. Features including tight lid closures, temperature and humidity control, along with grease resistance are critical. Another element of a suc-

Laura Craven is the Vice President, Marketing & Communications at Imperial Dade.

Laura oversees marketing and corporate communications for Imperial Dade, a national distribution company headquartered in Jersey City, NJ. Her responsibilities include marketing communications, brand and reputation management, internal and external communications, experiential marketing events, and media relations. Laura has been with the company for over 16 years and has contributed to the organization’s growth and brand awareness. A LEED AP, Laura consults on sustainability initiatives and as a GBAC Trained Technician she assists customers develop cleaning programs.

cessful program is the carryout bag.

We’ve seen restaurateurs design and purchase a great looking, branded bag without considering the shape and size of the containers that need to stack neatly inside.

All of this only works if the restaurateur pays attention to the flow of their operation. When takeout and delivery grows from 10% to 90%, your business has changed and you need redesign procedures. Determine who will pack up the food and train them to do it correctly. Pay attention to things like separating cold and hot items. If you place a salad on top of a hot entrée in

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INTRODUCING HUNTER RESTAURANT

TABLETOP CONSULTING

DESIGN & BUILD

FOODSERVICE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES

JANITORIAL & PPE

PAPER & DISPOSABLES

are parts of this kitchen that “ There express that this place is the home and job of the owner. ” Hunter Wells, Owner & Executive Chef

“Having a company like Singer that’s end-to-end was important especially for our first restaurant. ” Adam Rand, AGR Hospitality

www.mtucker.com

Kitchen designed by Next Step Design March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 9

NEWS

By Paola Zevallos

PANDEMIC STRATEGIES

SoCAL EATERY 101 NORTH BRINGS CREATIVE NEW APPROACH TO TAKEOUT AND DELIVERY

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any California restaurants have set a goal of creating a menu based on takeout and delivery that features no-contact. During COVID-19, 101 North has accomplished that mission with meal kits and cocktail kits that enable their patrons to experience an authentic in-home experience in the comfort of their own home.

The Westlake Village eatery’s cocktail kits are curated by their in-house mixologist Austin Franco and are priced at $30 each. 101 North’s cocktail to-go menu features five ready to-go options. Customers can call, text, or email to order The Italian Iced Tea, The Red Sangria, The Cosmopolitan or Margarita Kit. After a trip to Macau, Jeffrey Helfer and Chef Anthony Alaimo were inspired to open up a restaurant in Los Angeles that features a diverse culinary menu.

Chef Alaimo began working at Italian restaurants throughout New

York City at a young age. He worked and traveled through the East Coast learning how to work with local ingredients and the seafood industry of New England. He worked in many famous kitchens throughout the United States including a stop at legendary restaurants in Las Vegas.

From Las Vegas, he moved to Macau, China, where he spent nine years as the Chef de Cuisine, before bringing his unique skill set to Los Angeles.

During the Pandemic, Chef Alaimo has crafted a special Takeout and Delivery food menu. “Our goal was for our guests to be able to create a unique experience at home with the creativity of our menu,” noted the restaurant’s manager Brandon Breceda.

One of the restaurant’s most popular dishes is the grilled grass-fed Hanger Steak that gets served with salt-crusted potatoes and a mojo verde sauce. The second most popular dish is the grilled Spanish octopus accompanied with corona beans

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“Our goal was for our guests to be able to create a unique experience at home with the creativity of our menu.” — Brandon Breceda and an aji amarillo sauce.

The SoCal restaurant community awaited the news about reopening.

California Governor Gavin Newson just announced that restaurants can once again open for outdoor dining. With an eye towards once again providing its guests with a signature dining experience, 101 North used the backdrop of the Super Bowl to highlight its fare.

The restaurant celebrated the Big Game with a takeout or delivery only special priced at $160.00 with fare for four to six people. The menu included stuffed shishito peppers, shaved steak sliders with mushrooms, onions, taleggio cheese, pork chile verde con queso, fresno chili wings, homemade tortilla chips, avocado

salsa verde, and chocolate dipped smore cookie sandwich. For an additional $30, guests were invited to add a margarita cocktail kit that serves eight people. for 30 dollars.

Despite the challenges of this extraordinary pandemic, 101 North found a way to be creative to maintain their business. The response showcased the opportunity for customers to stay connected and to generate revenue to keep the restaurant afloat. Customers have overwhelming responded to the cocktail kits and a special takeout and delivery menu, and a big game day special. Recently, they reopened for outdoor dining which brings them back to their roots as a neighborhood restaurant.

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RESTAURANT BRANDING + STRATEGY

FUNDAMENTALS OF GROWTH, PART 1: BUILDING YOUR BENCH

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hen I was in fourth grade, I played quarterback for the hometown pee-wee football team, the Lions. We had a bit of a reputation for having a strong program, and this year was no different. It didn’t matter who we were up against, for 9-year-olds, we had some swagger. We walked onto the field each week knowing we would win.

There was just one problem. We were a bit of a “one trick” pony. You see, Chris, our star player was larger and faster than your average 4th grader, and most (all) of our offense was centered around getting him the ball any way possible. He was our running back, lead kick-off returner, punt returner, and middle linebacker on defense to boot. Our offense should have just basically been

called “give Chris the ball”. Now this worked, really well, - until the one Friday night, game against the Bears.

I remember like it was yesterday. As I have done a hundred times before, I handed the ball off to Chris - he busted out to the right, down the sideline and was flying, when out of nowhere - a defender hit and he went down out of bounds a nice long gain, but then… he didn’t get up. The coaches came running out as Chris lied on the ground writhing in pain. He kept grabbing his knee and was screaming - this wasn’t looking good for the Lions. The coaches put Chris’ arms over their shoulders and helped him off the field - he never came back. The coach’s face said it all, even at 9 years old I knew he didn’t have a backup plan, and the rest of the team had the same “Now what?” look on their

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collective face. It was at this moment that I realized if the strength that one player isn’t enough to carry a team. As important as Chris was to our team, equally as important is who replaces him when he’s not able to be there.

You need trained replacements in situations like this - you need what coaches call a strong bench.

The same can be said for your restaurant, particularly if you’re looking to add additional units. It absolutely makes sense to take some of the key players from one of your stores, and bring them over to the new shop. If you’ve done your job correctly, those key team members help you “carry the flag” - they know your standards, they have a clear set of expectations, and they have a consistent track record of being able to execute. In fact, I’ll go as far to say that if you can’t move some of your key players to the new store, then you’re not ready to expand. Being overly reliant on one or two key players is not how you’ll build your brand.

Your priority should be focused on constantly cultivating from within - make it so ingrained in your culture that it’s seamless. The second the barback shows and interest in a cocktail, show them how to make it - ABT always be training. In 2008, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady tore his ACL in the first week of the season, and although they didn’t make the playoffs, backup quarterback Matt Cassel stepped in and led

A 18-year restaurant veteran, Kyle Inserra is now part of the national accounts team Sabre Advisors, specializing in the strategic growth and nurturing of emerging restaurant brands. A restaurateur himself, (co-founder of Polpettina and LA LA Taqueria) his insider’s perspective of what it means to be a restaurant operator day-in and day-out, allow him to relate to his clients’ ever-changing needs. His expertise includes everything from site selection, lease negotiation, demographic and psychographic analysis, competitor analysis and zoning regulations. Kyle is also the host of The National Restaurant Owners Podcast, a show focused on bringing value to restaurant owners across the country by sharing his insight and experience, with a wide variety of guests.

Contact him at https://taplink.cc/ kyleinserra

the team to an 11-5 season. Look, even the Chicago Bulls couldn’t do it with just Michael Jordan - they needed Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant to round out the team. Can you tell I love sports analogies?

At the end of the day, your success has been rooted in the fact that you have delivered consistently, day in and day out - and that is the name of the game. Heck, even Broadway has understudies! The show must go on! Your guests don’t want to walk into something different every time you make a change of staff. If service suffers, or if the food starts to taste a little different - you’re in trouble and will those customers you worked so hard to get, won’t be there very long.

You need to be constantly cultivating staff through training and clear, concise communication. The moment you decide that you’re adding an additional unit, communicate that plan to your team, and let them know what this will mean to them and their team. Once you’ve created this system of, you’re on your way to buildings strong bench - the essence of every championship team.

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March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 13

NEWS

by Leslie Super

NEW OPENINGS

BROOKLYN RESTAURATEURS BRING OLD SCHOOL ITALIAN CHARM TO NJ HAMLET

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he father and son duo of Pasquino and Michael Vitiello, two of the forces behind beloved Queen Marie Italian Restaurant in Brooklyn Heights, NY, are crossing the Hudson to open Ristorante MV in the historical small town of Bernardsville, NJ. When asked about the move, Michael Vitiello said, “Opening a restaurant in New Jersey was always our five-year plan. The pandemic just hurried things up. 30% of our business was from the lunch crowd from the nearby courthouses that disappeared when the court cases went virtual, so we closed in April.”

Ristorante MV will make its home in a landmarked stone building built in 1849, that took its turn first as a horse stable, then as the Old Stone Hotel, then as various bars and most recently as Rudolph’s Steakhouse.

It’s impossible to talk about Ristornate MV without giving a proper nod to “the Queen” as the red sauce institution is referred to by fans. The Queen started as a Brooklyn, NY pizzeria in 1958. Founded by the late Anthony Vitiello, Pasquino’s father and Michael’s grandfather who migrated from Naples. Pasquino and his brother, Vincent, started working with their dad as kids, with Pasquino then going off to get a fine dining education at places like the Rainbow Room and Waldorf Astoria. Bringing his newfound culinary chops back to the Queen, Pasquino introduced quality changes which included trimming the 50-page menu to just the American Italian classics with a daily rotation of specials.

Those changes contributed to the Queens’s 62-year successful reign. It was not only a neighborhood hang

“Danny Meyer, the Ballatos from Emilio’s Ballato, all the Carbone guys, they would all come to us because they knew we were doing a lot of things people weren’t doing anymore.” — Michael Vitello but a place where industry folks liked to go as well. “Danny Meyer, the Ballatos from Emilio’s Ballato, all the Carbone guys, they would all come to us because they knew we were doing a lot of things people weren’t doing anymore,” said Michael. “Things like butchering our own veal legs, which is a dying art.”

Michael joined his uncle, dad and grandfather 13 years ago much to his dad’s chagrin. “My dad didn’t want any of us to get into the business, but I had it in my blood.” Now Michael is taking the baton and running with it.

Why Bernardsville? “My fiancée lives here,” Michael offered. And the space? “I was scouting locations

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with my future father-in-law and we stopped into Rudolphs Steakhouse for lunch. He asked, ‘Would you consider buying this place?’ Obviously, he thinks on a different scale then me.

This place was like a castle. It never crossed my mind. Besides it wasn’t even for sale.” Long story short: Over lunch and a very expensive bottle of wine, conversations with the owner ensued and the keys were in Michael’s hands by January.

Michael enlisted design firm, Christian Árkay-Leliever to oversee renovations on the 10,000 sq. ft. multi-level building that will combine the buildings’ old-world ambiance with Art Deco glamour. “I want it to be as evoc-

ative as a Tuscan villa.”

The first level dining room features stone walls, a high ceiling, gloss black chandeliers, a 14-foot olive tree, accents of imported Italian green velvet chairs and a huge mural of the rolling hills of Tuscany. The duo and ÁrkayLeliever utilized the sourcing skills of Marc Celli and his John Celli Furniture team to execute the furniture and accent vision of their design.

The bar area, off the dining room, will have high gloss cobalt blue walls with velvet inlays, a copper ceiling, white Carrara marble bar, cognac leather bar stools, and brass accents. Instead of Frank Sinatra tunes, often heard at the Queen, the music will be up tempo Italian pop.

“We want to keep the energy high here,” offers Michael.

“The upstairs will be our Trattoria, serving more casual fare. Basically, between the upscale downstairs and more casual upstairs, we’ll be running two restaurants in one.”

The food will be the same as it was at the Queen. Michael says, “95% of our New York purveyors are joining us. We’ll still be getting our imported Italian specialties from Eurama Foods, our veal legs from Weichsel Beef Company, our seafood from Val’s Ocean Pacific. Everything is still being made in-house, our breads and pasta, the mozzarella we make twice a day.

We’ve built a prosciutto aging room.

Downstairs will be the classic Queen’s menu with a daily rotation of upscale specials.”

When asked about opening a new restaurant during the pandemic, Michael concluded: “My plan was always to open slowly and with the state mandating only 25% seating capacity, that allows me time to do just that.”

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FIORITO ON INSURANCE

A WORLD GONE DIGITAL: ENHANCED ONLINE RISKS & LIABILITIES FOR HOSPITALITY BUSINESSES

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he COVID-19 pandemic has pushed businesses toward a model where an essential point of contact between a business and its consumers is online, forcing the world into somewhat of a digital transformation. Nowadays, one can say that a restaurant needs a website almost as much as a kitchen, in order for customers to place pickup or delivery orders consistent with physical social distancing. These changes have resulted in the development of new websites, mobile apps, increased digital content, and heavier online traffic.

However, as organizations are relying much heavier on digital platforms to conduct their business, their exposures to several risks, vulnerabilities and liabilities are also enhanced, notably those involving the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) website compliance and cyber-crime.

ADA Website Compliance Besides potentially missing out on a significant customer base from using your online offerings, there are additional significant risks of not being digitally accessible to people with disabilities, namely litigation and its costs, potential penalties, and reputational harm; leaving every business with a website and consumer base at risk.

Studies show that last year was a record-breaking year when it comes to ADA-related digital lawsuits, up 23% from the year prior1. The lockdown in New York during April and May of

2020 made a dent in the monthly filing numbers, however after June, the lawsuits came roaring back and are not looking to slow down any time soon. New York and California are the top states for digital accessibility lawsuits2. Both states allow plaintiffs to sue in federal or state court and these state courts favor plaintiffs.

How to know if your site is ADA approved: If your website’s type font is too small for the visually impaired, or contains imbedded videos without captions or audio descriptions for the hearing impaired, or if a physically-impaired consumer has to scroll up or down to find your main navigating tools, it may not be ADA accessible.

Here are the top three tips for migrating your website to ADA com-

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pliance: 1. Don’t use your own judgment.

Comb through your website with a third-party vendor that’s familiar with ADA accessibility – find out how much they know the issues, standards and what’s considered ADA accessible.

2. Describe the imagery. Complex graphics should be accompanied by detailed text descriptions. If an image is also used as a link, make sure the alt tag describes the graphic and the link destination. Add captions and audio descriptions to all videos.

3. Provide alternatives. All java applets, scripts and plug ins and their contents must be accessible to assistive technologies, or an alternative must be made available. Provide a skip navigation option to assist text readers. Create a link to videos rath-

Robert Fiorito serves as Vice President with HUB International Northeast, a leading global insurance brokerage, where he specializes in providing insurance services to the restaurant industry. As a 25+ year veteran and former restaurateur himself, Robert has worked with a wide array of restaurant and food service businesses, ranging from fast-food chains to upscale, “white tablecloth” dining establishments. Robert can be reached at 212-338-2324 or by email at robert.fiorito@ hubinternational.com.

er than imbedding them in the web page.

As you’re assessing compliance, now is the time to ensure you have the right insurance policy. Although some would assume all digital risks, including ADA website accessibility fall under the cyber liability umbrella, it actually falls under Media Liability or Employment Practices Liability (EPL) insurance. EPL’s lesser known entity, third-party liability, includes coverage for third-party discrimination. Speak with your insurance advisor to understand if your website is ADA accessible, and if your business’ liability fits with your current EPL or Media Liability insurance program.

Cyber Crime and Social Engineering Fraud As the world’s attention has been focused on dealing with and recovering from the aftermath of COVID-19, cyber criminals used this opportunity to target businesses and individuals, also taking advantage of rapidly changing data and facts associated with COVID-19 and the vaccine. Government agencies, corporations, and news outlets continue to warn individuals to be mindful of

continued on page 86

March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 17

NEWS

TAX SOLUTIONS

Article by David Joseph, Co-founder of DAVO Sales Tax (www.davosalestax.com)

HOW THE BEAN NYC GOT AHEAD ON SALES TAX AND NEVER HAD TO WORRY ABOUT IT AGAIN

Y

ou know how sales tax works; if you go into your local coffee shop and buy a $2 coffee, the total is $2.16. That $.016 is for the state or local government for sales tax. The coffee shop needs to hold on to that $0.16 until sales tax is due at the end of the quarter.

Holding onto $0.16 doesn’t sound like a big deal, but when you serve thousands of cups of coffee, quiches, bagels, smoothies, juices, desserts, and merchandise, that $0.16 turns into tens of thousands of dollars in the bank account that isn’t yours - it belongs to the state.

When you are growing your business, that sales tax money in your bank account can look like working capital, and if that money isn’t there when the state collects your sales tax, that can be a massive headache.

The Bean NYC Frustrated with Sales Tax That is precisely what happened to Ike and his partner as they grew The Bean NYC to the busy multilocation coffee shops that they are today. The Bean locations are popular East Village community and cultural hubs with a loyal neighborhood following and Ike and his team are constantly working to improve them and delight their customers.

When you are growing your business, there are so many things to deal with, sales tax is just one, and it can cause big problems. Once you get behind, it is tough to get ahead.

There are fines, late fees, penalties, and interest. The state can even

came a thing of the past.

At the end of each day, DAVO checks The Bean’s POS, verifies the sales tax, and pulls the funds immediately from their account. By the time the deposits from the day enter their bank account, the sales tax never touched it. The Bean has their money, and the state’s money is held separately by DAVO. At the end of the quarter, DAVO files and pays his sales tax on-time and in full. Ike gets an email letting him know it was filed and paid full quarterly.

Years later, Ike says he fully realizes how much managing sales tax put stress on his business and what a wasted expense it was. Something that used to weigh heavily on his thoughts, he doesn’t even think about anymore.

Ike says not only does he love it, but his partners, and his accountant love it too. It makes everyone’s lives easier. Knowing that his sales tax is taken care of feels so good.

“David Joseph and DAVO have become trusted partners that I cannot see my business thriving without.” shut down your business.

Ike said keeping up with his sales tax was a regular problem. It took valuable time from his busy days and was even an obstruction to his progress.

He needed a solution to stop wasting his time worrying about sales tax and could invest his energy into nurturing his growing businesses.

Finally, A Sales Tax Solution Ike met David Joseph, the founder

18 • March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

of DAVO Sales Tax, at the International Restaurant Show in NY in 2017. They chatted, and he knew immediately this was the service he needed. The problem was the POS The Bean was using didn’t integrate with DAVO. He kept David’s card on his fridge.

When it came time to switch POS systems, he called David and switched to a POS that had DAVO. He signed up for DAVO on day one.

From that day, sales tax worries be-

David Joseph is the co-founder of DAVO Sales Tax (davosalestax. com) and a former restaurant owner. DAVO Automated Sales Tax integrates with many popular POS systems to set aside sales tax daily and file and pay it when it’s due, ontime, and in-full. Put your sales tax on autopilot and never worry about it again. David can be reached at david@davosalestax.com or (888) 659-8432.

March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 19

NEWS

PAYMENT SOLUTIONS

UP N’ GO BRINGS SPEED AND CONSISTENCY TO CONTACTLESS DINING PAYMENTS

F

or Touradj Barman, solving problems has been a fascination since childhood. The California native brought that curiosity to college as an undergrad at prestigious MIT. In fact, he has gone on to become an accomplished inventor with over 20 issued patents.

So, it came as no surprise that Barman had the vision to see that the smartphone could solve two of a restaurant’s biggest issues. It began in 2017 with solving the discomfort among patrons and waitstaff over splitting a check and having to wait to pay it, then it gained prominence nationally as a contactless Covid payment solution in 2020.

Upon his return to his native San Diego after graduation, Barman would find himself launching several software startups. “I live in the middle of downtown San Diego and eat out with friends all the time. I really just thought there’s got to be a better way to split and pay the check.” It was his

personal experience and a conversation with a friend who owned a local restaurant that would spark what has become a truly iconic hospitality solution.

In 2017, Barman, and Matt Hoyt, the owner of the landmark San Diego restaurant, Starlite, and Toledo-based web developer Scott Webber, got together to solve a problem that has been frustrating restaurant patrons and the hospitality industry for years: the checkout process.

The trio Barman, Hoyt and Webber developed a mobile payment solution using Hoyt’s popular restaurant as a real-world environment to test and perfect their product. Starlite proved to be the perfect testing ground as it uses NCR Aloha as its restaurant point-of-sale (POS) system. That would prove to be crucial to the company’s growth as NCR and its competitor Micros control significant market share in the nation’s restaurant POS marketplace. Aloha was

“We found that customers paying with Up n’ go paid an average of 20 minutes sooner.” — Touradj Barman so impressed with the Up n’ go solution that Up n’ go became an official integration partner with Aloha. That would then lead to direct integration with Oracle’s Micros POS as well.

“As we went through the process, my technology and software background proved to be really valuable,” Barman added. “You need to look at the restaurant’s POS system as a river.

There are all of these third-party programs: loyalty, inventory management, delivery, reservations that are plugged in and flow through the POS. I could see early on that we were going to have to make the technical side of Up n’ go work in a complicated environment like that.”

With the nation’s restaurants scrambling this past year to imple-

ment new safety protocols, contactless payments has moved to the top of operators’ agendas. As a result, Up n’ go is now utilized in 1,000 restaurants in 49 states. These include wellknown restaurant chains P.F. Chang’s, True Food Kitchen, Ocean Prime, and Din Tai Fung among others. Last October, Up n’ go surpassed one million payments, and it will surpass two million payments this month.

The foundation for the growth is the ease of Barman’s solution. Guests simply scan a QR code on their check using their iPhone or Android camera. That enables them to split their check among their party, and quickly pay on Up n’ go’s mobile site using Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo, or any major credit card, and leave without waiting for their server to return.

Restaurant guests across the nation love the simplicity of the system. Patrons don’t have to download an app, register for an account, or provide any personal information to use Up n’ go – they just point their smartphone camera at a QR code on their check and they can pay in under 15 seconds. “We wanted to remove all the friction that might get in the way of anyone quickly paying with our service,” said Barman.

“QR codes have been around for a long time, and they have been excessively popular in other markets like China, but the Covid crisis has served as the catalyst for their mainstream debut in the US,” he explained. “Like

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March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 21

TREND TALK

WITH JOYCE APPELMAN

AJAERO’S NNEJI RESTAURANT BRINGS WEST AFRICAN FARE TO QUEENS & NYC

T

his month we shine a spotlight on Beatrice Ajaero of Nneji, which opened in Astoria mid-pandemic with a mission to make African food mainstream in a way that is environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable.

Supported by an MBA and law degree, Ajaero followed her dream and chose to become a restaurant owner.

She is committed to sharing Igbo heri-

tage through food traditions which is embodied in Nneji’s tagline “Africa.

Food. Kindred”.

Please share your background with our readers.

I am the third of six siblings. My family moved from the Bronx to Roosevelt Island when I was 2 months old, where I have lived ever since. Roosevelt Island is a very small village, similar to my parents’ experience in Nigeria

Beatrice Ajaero (Photo by Scott Lynch); The cuisine at Nneji includes (top to bottom): Egusi Soup, West African Red Stew, and Yassa (Photos provided by Nneji)

22 • March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

prior to moving to America. Growing up, I spent much of my time between a choir school I attended in Harlem and several choral commitments throughout New York City. I was constantly surrounded by many adults from very diverse backgrounds, including extended family throughout the Tri-state area, who guided me and taught me the concepts of service, tenacity and community across cultures, faith traditions, points of views, and abilities.

This shaped my approach as an entrepreneur in the communities where Nneji and IBARI are located.

Did you go to culinary school or are you self-taught?

Food is at the center of our daily activities. My parents survived the Nigerian Civil War as children, where food deprivation was an instrument of genocide. Throughout my upbringing, food represented nourishment and an essential shared experience.

Each time we visited families we met in America, my mother went into that kitchen to cook with an Aunty. My family’s culinary traditions imparted very deep-seated values; sharing, caring, conserving, edifying. This was my culinary education. These experiences across cultures deeply resonated with me and inform what I share now at Nneji.

I had an interest in culinary arts from a very early age and took baking class to further explore this endeavor.

I was the youngest participant in a baking program called Patty Cakes near Jackson Heights. However, as an Igbo, education stands at the center of one’s accomplishments in the modern world and nothing could interfere with this. Once I earned a law degree and an MBA, I felt prepared for entrepreneurship.

Joyce Appelman is the Director of Public Relations and Special Events for Total Food Service and previously the National Communications Director for C-CAP, Careers through Culinary Arts Program. An industry leader supporting education and scholarships, she has been instrumental in opening career opportunities for many young people in the foodservice industry. Email her at joyceappelman@gmail.com

Who were some of the mentors that had an impact on your career?

Ayesha Muhammad at Accra Restaurant was of tremendous help to me as I was rolling out several elements of Nneji. Her dad, executive chef at Accra, insisted that I finish my education first. As promised, they guided me when I was ready to launch. My neighbor Alon Kruvi, owner of Zula, encouraged my interest in Mediterranean food. Most of my equipment from Nneji came from him as we were struggling to open in the middle of a pandemic.

What was your inspiration in opening Nneji in Astoria, Queens?

My siblings attended school in Astoria for several years and learned Greek from the wonderful sisters at St. Markella. We began to visit Astoria daily and discovered that its diversity presented us a great opportunity to share

continued on page 88

The Academy for Hospitality Arts believes that exceptional service begins with intentional planning.

Our online, in-person and consultancy training offerings are designed to educate and enlighten individuals in the hospitality industry. We leverage decades of experience and focusing on standardization, we empower hospitality professionals by providing a blueprint for success.

THE BLUEPRINT

FOR HOSPITALITY

SUCCESS HAS ARRIVED. ACADEMY For HOSPITALITY ARTS

LEARN MORE AHAEXCELLENCE.COM March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 23

PROVISIONS PREVIEWED

WITH LMT PROVISIONS

GOOD THINGS HAPPEN IN PHILADELPHIA

W

hen I interviewed Eli Kulp via Zoom in February, we joked about how the tables had turned. That’s because lately, the chefturned-radio-podcast-host, is used to asking the questions.

Kulp, 43, began The CHEF Radio Podcast last April, when his city and the rest of the world was in the deepest of weeds—the COVID-19 pandemic had shuttered restaurant service to a screeching halt. The idea to create a channel that could speak directly to members of the Philadelphia hospi-

tality community was seeded through thoughtful collaboration.

“At that time and now, people want to hear from chefs. People are listening to gain knowledge of how everyone is handling this situation, like being a fly on the wall while two professionals talk about the industry,” says Kulp.

Singer Equipment Company is proud to announce our partnership with Kulp as the exclusive distributor sponsor for his show.

“I wanted to make sure that my sponsor partners were people I believe in. Singer has always been at

“Bad Things Happen in Philadelphia” mug by Felt+Fat

24 • March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

the top of the list when I was ready to find a partner,” says Kulp. “Not only is Singer supplying the restaurants here, they’re also helping to support it by bringing in the best equipment and the best products to help the community to grow.”

That collaboration is woven tightly into the fabric of Philadelphia’s food culture. In 2015, Kulp asked one of his servers and local artist Nathaniel Mell to try making tableware for his restaurant, High Street on Market. This commission would plant the seed for what transformed a small pottery house to a dinnerware manufacturing business, with scale. From one idea to the next, Felt+Fat was born. The brand continues to churn out design driven tableware made in the heart of Philadelphia. One of Mell’s most recent designs poked fun at his city, involving a quote captured from our former president when he said, “Bad things happen in Philadelphia,” during a debate.

“Philadelphians are self-effacing, and very much embrace being rough,” says Mell. “This was a golden phrase for that sense of humor.”

Singer Equipment Company is proud to be Felt+Fat’s distribution partner in the U.S., and to have called Philadelphia our home for generations. It’s a city with a unique legacy, having served as a crucial hub for industry (and thus immigration) since the country was founded.

In 1771, a fraternity known as the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick was founded to help support Philadelphia’s Irish immigrant workers. One member, William Mulherin, established a distillery in town. Recently, Singer Equipment Company’s network of professional contract sales and equipment suppli-

Sarah Bulmer is the Marketing Manager for Singer Equipment Company, supporting strategic communication with Singer’s diverse range of hospitality clients and manufacturer partners. She studied Journalism & Mass Communications with a focus in food writing at the University of Iowa. Sarah is based in Brooklyn, New York and can be reached at sbulmer@singerequipment. com.

ers were part of a landmark redesign aptly titled Wm. Mulherin’s Sons. Everything from the restaurant’s Edlund can opener to its Alto-Shaam equipment were specified and supplied by Singer Equipment Company.

Just last month, the highly anticipated Bridget Foy’s reopened its doors, also outfitted with equipment and supplies from Singer. Located on South Street’s Headhouse Square and founded in 1978, the restaurant has gained a strong following from its city and is proudly serving classic pub grub to first dates, families and friends once again, now open for both indoor dining and takeout in Eco-Products packaging.

“The neighborhood really rallied for us. The support was overwhelming. We couldn’t walk down the street without people asking us when we were reopening. It gave us strength to go on,” says Foy. We’re convinced that good things happen in Philadelphia—we’ve already put in a request with Felt+Fat to make a new mug with the revised slogan. Whether that will happen remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain: at Singer Equipment Company, we know all about brotherly love.

In our third generation of service to the Philadelphia hospitality market and beyond, we’re ready to serve you for centuries to come. Visit https:// www.singerequipment.com/podcastchef to continue the conversation.

March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 25

NEWS

by Easy Ice

EQUIPMENT SOLUTIONS

HOW TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF YOUR OLD ICE MACHINE

A

s a business owner, we realize it’s important that you get the most out of each of your assets. While most ice machines last around 7-8 years, we have learned some tricks to extend the life of an old ice machine.

While proper maintenance is important for any ice machine, an older unit may need a little extra care.

With older units especially, it’s crucial that you: • Clean Your Machine Regularly • Provide Proper Space • Routinely Check Water Flow Rate Although routine service is most likely part of your ice machine maintenance procedures already, our helpful tips give you the confidence that your machine is in the best possible shape. Go from wondering “how long do ice makers last?” to knowing that you can depend on your unit for a long time. Extend the life of an old ice maker by utilizing our tips along with routine service.

Clean Your Ice Machine Regularly Major ice machine manufacturers like Manitowoc and Hoshizaki recom-

mend that their equipment is professionally cleaned at least twice a year.

However, outside of these visits, it’s important that you regularly clean an older ice maker to keep it running as well as possible.

At least every other week, clean the air filters on your ice machine in order to keep it properly ventilated. On an air-cooled ice machine, especially, a clogged air filter can lead to poor production and overheating. To clean your air filter, simply use a damp cloth and a neutral cleaner (pH between 6-8).

Since ice is a food according to the FDA, cleaning your ice bin and the machine itself is crucial and keeps them free from contaminants. Use a food-grade, EPA-approved sanitizing solution to wipe down the surfaces of your ice machine and bin regularly.

Schedule service with an ice machine technician at least twice a year so they can properly clean the inside of your ice machine as well.

During these visits, the technician needs to look at and clean your machine’s condenser. While it’s easy to have this done during your routine service appointment, your condenser may need to be looked at more frequently based on the environment.

Go from wondering “how long do ice makers last?” to knowing that you can depend on your unit for a long time. Extend the life of an old ice maker by utilizing our tips along with routine service.

Have your technician clean the condenser with a vacuum or brush, depending on how greasy it is, being careful not to bend or smash the condenser fins.

Cleaning regularly is an easy way to give your old ice maker a leg up so it can keep providing you with a consistent supply of ice. Check out our Ice Machine Cleaning Schedule for more information.

Provide Your Old Ice Maker with Proper Space Outside of your older unit becoming a dirty ice machine as well, space and ventilation can also affect your machine’s longevity. As talked about above, air cooled units need plenty of ventilation since they produce hot air during their production cycle. But besides that, ice machines need space so they can be properly serviced and are easier to clean regularly.

Per manufacturer recommendations, your ice machine needs to have space around the sides, back, and top.

Providing at least one foot of space on all sides ensures that during service, your technician will be able to easily clean and service everything they need to on your old ice maker.

Without at least one foot of space, not only will your machine be hard to maintain, but it’ll easily overheat during production. If the air filters and vents on your ice machine are blocked, hot air can’t be expelled, and your unit will overheat, potentially damaging vital internal components. Keeping the area around your machine clear allows for proper airflow and ventilation, reducing the risk of overheating.

These ice safety solutions are easy to follow and help the overall function of your machine.

To help your old ice maker from overheating, it’s also important to keep the ambient air temperature around your machine as close to 70°F as possible. With hot air being emitted, your machine needs to be able to suck cool air back in. Keeping air temperatures at the right level ensures your ice maker’s working in ideal conditions.

Routinely Check Your Water Flow Rate All ice machines need the proper amount of water to function since, after all, you can’t have ice without water. However, if the water flow is restricted, it affects the unit’s ability

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March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 27

MEDIA CORNER

With Joyce Appelman

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING: Matt Sartwell, Managing Partner, Kitchen Arts & Letters Bookstore in New York City shares his reviews.

Bullipedia: The Origins of Cooking: Palaeolithic and Neolithic

by Ferran Adrià and the elBullifoundation An exploration of the birth of cooking, by Ferran Adria.

This is the third volume of the ambitious Bullipedia project to be translated into English. At nearly 600 pages, it draws on the work of a range of scientific consultants, as well as the insights of the perennially curious chef Ferran Adrià, to explore how humans and related species first began to prepare food.

Illustrated throughout with maps, timelines, drawings, and abundant photographs, the book addresses subjects such as the development and use of tools, the importance of fire and the ability to make it, and how these factors changed and ex-

BOOKS, TV, FILM, AND PODCASTS

WHAT WE’RE READING:

WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO:

panded the range of foods our distant ancestors could eat. These in turn changed how they evolved and how they began to structure their societies.

Given that the first Homo species, Homo habilis, appeared more than 2 million years ago and the Neolithic age is judged to have ended about 6,500 years ago, the book covers a staggering span of years. It pays close attention to detail while remaining accessible to readers who don’t have any prior knowledge of archaeology, anthropology, or paleontology.

Black, White, and The Grey

by Mashama Bailey and John O. Morisano The unusual collaboration behind a noted restaurant Two New Yorkers—she’s from Queens and he’s from Staten Island—creating a successful restaurant in Savannah is remarkable enough. But when one is Black and the other is white, it’s even more noteworthy. In this frank book, the two talk about the challenges, tensions, conflicts, grounded not only in race but in gender and economic status, that underlay their partnership.

Using a distinctive format in which the two authors narrate their stories in short alternating sections, sometimes a sentence at a time, sometimes a few paragraphs, Black, White, and The Grey allows each to comment and react on the other’s tale. It’s clear that their long working relationship has not created an atmosphere of total understanding and enlightenment, but each of them feels comfortable enough to

28 • March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

admit failures and frustrations, as well as progress.

All other issues aside, anyone contemplating a business collaboration in the food industry will find this fascinating and enlightening.

There are a few recipes peppered through the book, but the stories are the very worthwhile point.

Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy is a six-part CNN Original Series that premiered on February 14 focusing on Naples and The Amalfi Coast. You can follow Academy Award nominee Stanley Tucci as he travels across Italy to discover the secrets and delights of the country’s regional cuisines. With visits to Rome, Bologna, Milan, Tuscany and Sicily, Tucci explores how Italian cooking offers a glimpse into the country’s rich history and culture.

Don’t miss this classic, informative and enjoyable series.

Watch the CNN Original Series “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Editorial Intern Paola Zevallos, Food and Finance HS in Manhattan, shares her review.

GOOD EATS While we are waiting for Good Eats, Season 16, we can catch up with Good Eats: Reloaded, Seasons 1 through 15.

Host Alton Brown explores the science and techniques behind cooking, different ingredients, dishes, and cooking equipment. Each dish is familiar to home chefs, so they can duplicate the recipe. He features the price difference of appliances and multi-use tools.

Each episode of Good Eats has a theme, which can consist of an ingredient, a cooking technique, an appliance, or a holiday. During filming, cameras get placed inside various items in the kitchen including the oven, refrigerator, the freezer, and the

entitled ‘It’s a Pan, It’s a Dish, It’s Paella.” In this episode, Alton Brown shows you how to make a paella on an outdoor grill. He explains the history behind paella and where each of the ingredients come from. He made me laugh when he put two whole tomatoes over his eyes!

Tune in to the Food Network, the Cooking Channel or the Discovery App to watch Season 16 of Good Eats.

Andrew Talks to Chefs

microwave oven. Alton Brown and multiple actors play various characters who tell the story of different dishes.

One of my favorite episodes is Episode 15 of Season 13. The episode is

UP CLOSE & PERSONAL WITH A WORLD OF CHEFS Author Andrew Friedman, one of the nation’s chief chroniclers of professional kitchen life, interviews a diverse cross-section of the best and biggest names in the business, bringing his personal relationships and industry knowledge to bear in coaxing personal and professional revelations from his guests.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify.

Andrew Friedman

Full Comp Podcast Full Comp is a weekly show exploring the past and future of the hospitality industry. Provocative and actionable, the show aims to ask the tough questions, supplying listeners with the tools and resources needed to thrive post-pandemic.

The host, Michelin-rated restaurateur Josh Kopel, challenges conventional wisdom by hosting both hospitality professionals and thought leaders from outside the industry offering a new perspective on an old business. Hear Ben Leventhal of Eater and Resy, Adam Fleischman of Umami Burder, Roger Avats of InHouseDelivery.com and others share their opinion on the state of hospitality.

Listen to Season 1 to 3 on Spotify or on Yelp.

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March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 29

ASK ANDREW

FROM THE NYC HOSPITALITY ALLIANCE

PRESENTED BY:

REPORT: 92 PERCENT OF NYC RESTAURANTS COULD NOT AFFORD DECEMBER RENT -- Industry Rent Crisis Worsens as Pandemic Drags On --- Percentage of Restaurants That Couldn’t Afford Rent by Month: June 80%; July 83%; August 87%; October 88%; December 92% --

T

he return of indoor dining in New York City couldn’t come soon enough for struggling Big Apple restaurants, as a new survey by the NYC Hospitality Alliance reveals 92 percent of more than 400 respondents couldn’t afford to pay December rent, a number that has steadily increased since the start of the pandemic. In June, 80 percent of restaurants could not afford to pay rent; July 83 percent; August 87 percent; and October 88 percent.

The year-end figures are dismal for the future of the “Restaurant Capital of the World.” Before Covid-19, New York City was home to over 25,000 restaurants, bars and nightclubs that employed 325,000 people. Thousands of eating and drinking establishments have already permanently closed as a result of the pandemic and accompanying restrictions, and the industry shed more than 140,000 jobs in the last year.

According to more than 400 respondents representing New York City’s restaurants, bars, and nightlife establishments, only 40 percent of tenants’ landlords reduced

rent in relation to Covid-19; only 36 percent of tenants’ landlords deferred rent in relation to Covid-19; and only 14 percent of businesses have been able to successfully renegotiate leases (61 percent have not, 24 percent are in “good faith” negotiations).

These results come after New York City’s restaurants and bars were restricted to outdoor dining during some of winter’s coldest temperatures, while restaurants outside of

30 • March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

the five boroughs continued highly regulated indoor dining at 50 percent occupancy, as they’ve done safely and effectively since June.

A return to indoor dining at 25 percent occupancy offers a glimmer of hope for New York City’s struggling restaurants, but business owners and industry leaders insist a path to reopening at 50 percent occupancy is necessary to continue treading water, and that only robust and compressive federal stimulus

Andrew Rigie is the Executive Director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, a trade association formed in 2012 to foster the growth and vitality of the industry that has made New York City the Hospitality Capital of the World.

can truly save the industry, which nationwide has lost some 110,000 restaurants and 2.5 million jobs, 372,000 jobs of which were lost in December alone.

“We’re nearly a year into the public health and economic crisis that has decimated New York City’s restaurants, bars, and nightlife venues,” said Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance. “While the reopening of highly regulated indoor dining is welcome news, we need to safely increase occupancy to 50% as soon as possible, and we urgently need robust and comprehensive financial relief from the federal government.

We will continue to work with Senator and Majority Leader Schumer to ensure that the $25 billion restaurant industry recovery fund is passed as part of the Biden administration’s emergency relief plan, and advocate for the enactment of the RESTAURANTS Act to save as many local eating and drinking spots and jobs as possible.”

For full survey results, a link to the results are available here: https://bit.ly/3b4pyI5

CITRINCOOPERMAN.COM

CITRIN COOPERMAN

STACY GILBERT, CPA New York City Managing Partner and Co-Leader, Restaurant & Hospitality Practice sgilbert@citrincooperman.com

RESTAURANT & HOSPITALITY PRACTICE

You know our clients because we work with hospitality businesses in your neighborhood, as well as the ones known throughout the world we help them focus on what counts so they can thrive in any outcome.

March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 31

Q&A

EXCLUSIVE FOODSERVICE INTERVIEW

AMANDA COHEN Chef/Owner, Dirt Candy NYC + Co-Founder, Independent Restaurant Coalition

A

manda Cohen didn’t get into the food business to make vegetarian cuisine cool, polished, or otherwise culturally assertive; it just so happens she did that anyway. After graduating from New York’s Natural Gourmet Institute Chef’s Training Program, Cohen worked in some of the city’s most esteemed vegetarian (and veggie-forward) restaurants, including Angelica’s Kitchen, Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill, Blanche’s Organic Café, Other Foods, Diner Bar, Teany, Pure Food and Wine, and Heirloom (which won Time Out New York’s Reader’s Choice Award for “Best Vegetarian Restaurant” under Cohen’s leadership).

After consulting for vegan restaurant Blossom and for Broadway East, Cohen Amanda decided she was ready to take the leap and open her own restaurant. Dirt Candy quickly emerged as a one-of-a-kind, a gem of a restaurant built on green philosophies that unapologetically treated vegetables as the main event.

The Canada native has earned numerous plaudits for her cooking. The last year has thrust her into a very new role.

As a founding member of the Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC), she has testified before the Small

And it took a while, but I started realizing that it was more than just a skill to me.

It was a passion.

Where did you grow up?

I am a Canadian and I grew up in Ottawa and Toronto.

What brought you to the States?

The opportunity to study at NYU and come to New York.

Cohen, Executive Chef & Owner, Dirt Candy, New York City

Business Committee of the House of Representatives. Cohen has emerged a leader of the IRC, which is working to get Congress to pass the $120-billion Independent Restaurant Revitalization Fund. We wanted to have her share her vision for the 500,000 independent restaurants and 11 million restaurant workers in the U.S. that the IRC is committed to helping survive.

32 • March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

What got you interested in cooking and the restaurant industry?

I always loved to cook. I was sort of aimless after college and I was traveling, and I realized I needed a skill so that I could continue to travel.

The only thing I wanted to do was cook. And I said, well, that’s a skill that said elite, let me be traveling and learning. And then, I went to cooking school and realized that and I started working in New York City.

What about in terms of mentors, education, apprenticing. Who/ what were some of the things you did that had an impact on who you’ve become?

I didn’t really have any mentors. I went to cooking school. I went to the Natural Gourmet Institute, and that was certainly informative. I look back on it now and I’m like, wow. So much of what we were learning was way ahead of its time.

And now it is widely put into practice.

What were the keys to advancing your career?

I just really worked hard, from the moment I had my first job in New York City cooking to opening my own restaurant. I did a number of different jobs, I just kept my head down

continued on page 34

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Q&A

AMANDA COHEN, from page 32

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and did whatever was asked.

What was the first job, and what was the job that then led you to opening your own place?

My first job was private cooking.

My first restaurant job was probably at a place called, Glances. It was an organic, vegan bakery and I made a lot of sandwiches.

And then, what led you down the entrepreneurial track? Were there entrepreneurs in your family, where did you see opportunity?

I was at a job, and we mutually parted ways. I looked around and I had been at that point, probably cooking in New York City for at least 10 years. Most of the time in the vegetarian world, but I had gone back

and forth between vegetarian and omnivore kitchens. But I realized that, I kind of hit a wall because it was a very different time back then and I had gone as far as I could go in the vegetarian world. I had already been an executive chef. I could have taken other executive chef positions at other kitchens, but I wasn’t going to actually be able to do my own thing. Nor was I probably going to be able to really continue to learn. So my choice was to go back into omnivore kitchens. And even take a step down, which didn’t offend me, I was fine with that or I could venture out on my own and see what I could do.

And so that’s how I came to the idea of opening the first Dirt Candy. And, we opened in a very, very small space on a shoe string.

There’s been a lot of changes in our world and in this industry, since we saw you last year at the show at Javits.

Yes. The pandemic obviously had a huge effect on the restaurant industry. Probably one of the industries that was the most affected by the pandemic. And I think there was a real wake up call for most people in the industry, for various different reasons. I think we realized that that industry has some real issues and we need to fix them.

What led to your involvement in the establishment of the IRC (Independent Restaurant Coalition) to deal with those issues?

We realized that we didn’t have a

voice and that’s really how the IRC came together. Within the first couple of weeks of the pandemic, chefs and restaurateurs looked around and realized, wow…

That there was nobody advocating for you in Washington?

That’s right, no one for independent restaurants. There are other groups that represent much bigger chains, but there’s nobody for the small guy, for them at all. This is a really big problem because if we’d had this beforehand, we might not be having to start from ground zero, this time around. And so, the pandemic forced us to start up the group, which is the best thing ever.

continued on page 36

The Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC) is a US trade group formed during the COVID-19 pandemic by independent restaurateurs and chefs. During the pandemic the group lobbied local, state and federal governments for relief after their businesses were closed by government mandates to slow the spread of the virus

34 • March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 35

Q&A

AMANDA COHEN, from page 34

Hopefully, there will never be an event like this again, but in times of need, this group will be there, to be a voice for independent restaurants.

What were the issues that were facing us before the pandemic, that came to the forefront as a result of a pandemic?

I think we’re looking at leases, rent, health insurance, and staffing. How we’re taxed, how much we’re able to charge for food, how much customers expect us to charge for food? We all talked about how we run on very thin margins, and the reality is we put so much money back into the economy. So it’s very good for the economy that we run on very thin margins, but it’s very bad for a restaurant. And it makes the industry very unstable. We’re the only industry that runs on basically two to 5% margin.

Let’s take a second and look at how the IRC came about.

It was originally just a bunch of chefs on a call, and we knew the PPP was getting talked about. Right away we knew it was not going to work for restaurants. That first round of PPP was first of all, at the beginning only had an 8-week window to use the funds. Most restaurants weren’t even open, so they didn’t have employees who could even benefit. It just didn’t make any sense. They were already starting to talk about it on the news, that this was going to be a one to two-year problem. As we talked, we realized that we needed to create a voice together. The group was able to hire a lobbyist to create a voice for us in Washington.

What were some of the priorities as you went through the process of creating this new industry voice?

We began with the basics of teaching people how to reach out to their Congress people and Senators. That gave us a voice and helped us gather numbers. We began to realize the size and scope of our constituency. Just how many restaurants and how many people we employed and how much money we inject into the

economy. These numbers were staggering to us. There are 500,000 independent restaurants. We employ, 16 million workers, as a whole with 11 million of them employed by independent restaurants. That makes us the second biggest employer in the United States. That’s huge.

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How did the IRC build momentum?

We had calls every day, at 7:00 a.m. and before too long you could feel the movement from needing a voice to having a voice. Daily commiserating, grew to figuring out what was happening. We shut down first in New York and then you could see the roll out of closures across the country. Everyday, you could feel a lot more people on these calls. We needed to get a more formal structure. So, Erica Polmar who had been on the call since the very beginning, was invited to become the acting executive director. She was already basically doing the job.

What does the future of the IRC look like after the Pandemic?

We’ve had those discussions for the past six months. We’ve just turned ourselves into a permanent group. We have our 501C6 status.

We’re starting to get there.

Where will future funding come from?

We’re still at the beginning of it, but the idea is, it will be a membership-based organization. It’ll be for restaurateurs and chefs, to continue this voice and offer peer-to-peer conversations.

I am a bit confused. Isn’t the role of the NRA-National Restaurant Association to advocate on behalf of the independent operator?

I don’t think there should be one group, representing all restaurants, because we don’t all come in one shape and size. We’re so varied and so, there’s a place for somebody to represent much, much bigger restaurant groups. And there should be

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36 • March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 37

Q&A

AMANDA COHEN, from page 36

a place for somebody to represent much smaller restaurant groups. It’s hard to have the person who represents McDonald’s also represent the person who has a tiny ice cream shop in Idaho that generates a hundred thousand dollars in revenue a year.

It’s very hard to have those interests represented by the same person. It’s not that there’s something wrong with the NRA. It’s just that we think that we can work alongside and accomplish a different agenda for the industry.

Why have you been so focused on the passing of the Restaurant Act from the beginning?

Our basic mission is to save restaurants. In fact, the first step was, before we even really started thinking about the Restaurant Act, was how do we fix the first round of PPP? We were a big part of the discussions of changing it from eight weeks to 24 weeks which was huge. In New York, we weren’t even going to be allowed to be open yet at all. And even if we were it was at 25%, capacity but we still had rent to pay. Most of us have tried to keep as many staff members on as possible. We still have to pay them. I still have to pay my electricity bill. This time the restaurant industry needed something extra given the extreme harm from this pandemic.

How has the Pandemic impacted your Dirt Candy restaurant?

Dirt Candy is a destination restaurant that depends on tourists.

I’m not going to see tourists in this restaurant for probably another year. For me, I need the funding to be able to stay open and be here to survive the pandemic, and be able to welcome tourists back. I need something extra. For me to be able to hold onto those 35 people that I used to employ and hold on to those jobs. Because once I close, I’m not reopening, those jobs disappear forever. We need a little bit of extra for the restaurant industry.

Why can’t the 3.5x PPP that is being offered in the second round of PPP provide the solution?

Let’s assume the bill gets passed.

What is needed to create customer confidence to return to your dining rooms?

Exactly. We’re seeing that right now, New York is opened up for 25%.

We are struggling with that at Dirty Candy. As I walk home. I see every other restaurant and they’re not full.

People don’t want to dine out yet. I think it’s going to take a long time. I also think even when we’re allowed to be at a hundred percent, and we have herd immunity there will still be people that will not be comfortable for a while.

Dirt Candy was the first vegetable-focused restaurant in the city and is a pioneer of the vegetable-forward movement. It’s included in Paul Freedman’s Ten Restaurants That Changed America as “Ten Restaurants Changing America Now” alongside Momofuku and Eleven Madison Park. Dirt Candy’s original location only had 18 seats and was open for seven years, during which time it became the first vegetarian restaurant in 17 years to receive two stars from the New York Times, was recognized by the Michelin Guide five years in a row, and won awards from Gourmet Magazine, the Village Voice, and many others.

It’s still going to run out, and we’re still not going to be where we need to be. Again, it’s still the way the split is. You still have to spend so much of it on your payroll. I’m not sure that still works for everybody. So the Restaurant Act was our solution. Where we felt that it’s based on the loss of revenue. We need the Restaurant Act to survive.

Did the IRC initiate the act?

We worked with our lobbyists and we worked with our co-sponsors in both houses to get the bill together.

This is our baby. But I think the NRA is certainly happy with it and not against it. We just happened to come up with the initial ideas.

I get the $120 billion ask. I don’t understand how it will be dispersed.

38 • March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Very simple with the idea to make restaurants whole as they were prepandemic. So it’s the difference between 2019 and 2020’s revenue, also accounting for any government assistance that you’ve already gotten.

So, if your restaurant generated $2 million last year and you did a million this year, then you’re looking for a million dollars minus the 110K you got in PPP? Exactly. Yes. And then, there are stipulations with how you can use it, but it’s not limited to payroll. We are also proposing a much longer time with eight months to use it. The bill is still also being discussed, modified and reconciled between both houses. The goal is to allow restaurants to continue to operate safely for as long as possible.

How can people in the industry help the IRC get the Restaurant Act passed?

We still have a lot of work to do.

We still could always use more support. We had a lot of support before Christmas, and we’d had over 50 bi-partisan Senators sign onto the bill. Over 200 Congress people who had also signed on. The problem is that, with the new administration and new congress we have to re-sign them on again. So that’s what we’re doing right now. There was a vote taken in the Senate during vote-arama, and something like 92 Senators supported the idea that restaurants needed more aid. We have a lot of support and, I think people realize how important restaurants are, not just to them personally, but to the economy on the whole. And that we are worth saving because you’re not just saving a place, you’re saving hundreds of thousands and millions of jobs.

You go to saverestaurants.com and we’ve made it as easy as possible. You follow the link, you put in your zip code and it will tell you who to email, and it will send it off right away for you. It’s pretty easy, but if you also have any personal relationship with any of your representatives, call them. Let them know how important this bill is to the survival of restaurants. The next 60 days are crucial to

continued on page 40

March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 39

Q&A

AMANDA COHEN, from page 38

getting this passed.

What has the takeaway been from all of the work you have done on behalf of the IRC in Washington?

I have learned that in Congress, people are just like us. With that has come an important lesson that, in many cases, we are unnecessarily afraid of our representatives and the reality is they work for us.

With that we need to remember that there’s no shame in asking them for things that will help our industry. I’ve also realized how important that became because in many cases, Washington can be very out of touch. You simply would not believe how many times we’ve had to explain how restaurants work, and that’s why we need the Restaurant Act. Many legislators were shocked to find out how dependent so many businesses are on the restaurant ecosystem. Things as simple as how a restaurant drives a chain that so many are dependent on for their

livelihoods. Many reps in Washington didn’t realize the interplay between the farmer and distributor before the product ends up on a customer’s plate in our restaurants.

With what Amazon has done to retail on Main Street across America, why are restaurants more important than ever?

We’re the fabric of the city, we’re part of the culture of the city. So, one of the reasons New York gets a lot of tourists is not just to see Broadway, or the Empire State Building, they also come for all the different kinds of foods they can eat. One of the reasons that our neighborhoods are really vibrant, neighborhoods anywhere in the country, is because of the restaurants.

It has been a big year for Takeout & Delivery. Thoughts?

It’s a tough question. For me, my restaurant is not set up to do takeout and delivery service. It’s just not

40 • March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

physically built that way. I have a big open kitchen and our pass is where our bar is. And so, there’s nowhere to politely do pickup and delivery.

But I think that, somewhat modern restaurants will probably continue to do it. And I think we’ve all learned that we can pivot them and we can be a little bit more flexible in what we thought our restaurants can do.

How have you changed your menu over the past year?

Well, I used to be a nine course, pretty fine dining restaurant. I can’t do that now at all. So, we do a three to four course menu, and we also do sandwiches and salads. We are a lot more casual and I don’t think we could do our nine course meal out on Allen Street. It’s hard when there’s a truck right next to you.

We are about to elect a new mayor in NYC. What are your thoughts on the characteristics of the ideal candidate?

Somebody I think who is a little bit more in touch with small business in the city. I think there’s a lot of regulations that have been around for years. That were probably at one point really important, but are no longer valid. And they’re still in place because nobody has taken the time or the step to change them. There’s some pretty archaic laws on the books here, that we need to change. Tip sharing needs to be consistent with the State laws.

I would also like to see some longterm structure given to outdoor dining.

Crystal ball, what do you see in your future?

Yes, I would really like to believe in the roaring twenties, in the golden age lying ahead. For right now, my head is still surviving this. It’s all about surviving.

Images courtesy of Amanda Cohen, Dirt Candy, and IRC

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March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 41

NEWS

by Wyatt Semenuk

REOPENING STRATEGIES

NY ENTREPRENEUR SCIUTO SETS SIGHTS ON REINVENTION OF GLOVE DESIGN

O

ver the last year, health and safety standards have improved by leaps and bounds within the restaurant and foodservice industry. That commitment has helped to prove to State governments that the industry has gone above and beyond to meet new standards and warrant the opportunity to reopen its dining rooms.

Last month’s reopening in New York City and expansion of capacity in the Garden State has shown what can be accomplished when operators and vendors team to create a revolution that spurs innovation.

This success in creating what is being termed a new protocol has come amidst many moving parts. This has included major change in the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) segment of the industry. Leading the way are companies including New York based protective glove manufacturer, Clean Hands. Led by innovative young entrepreneur Stefano Sciuto, Clean Hands has sourced state of the art Italian made technology to pave a path of even greater safety.

“There’s not a single person out there on either side of the counter who doesn’t know the struggle of having to deal with cheap, run-of-the-mill latex gloves,” said Clean Hands President and CEO Stefano Sciuto.

“Whether it’s the poor durability, cross-contamination potential, or just their tendency to facilitate sweat and other unsanitary conditions, it’s a known fact that this type of product is inefficient and very expensive.

“As we began the process of bringing the line to the marketplace we found that it was incredible how much this would impact small and large businesses.” — Stefano Sciuto “With Clean Hands’ new longlasting, specially treated, disposable gloves however, nearly all of these issues are eliminated,” the New York based visionary continued. Clean Hands’ products are spacious and easily accessible, designed to be used with or without a smaller pair already on.

This means that these products can be left at different stations throughout a restaurant or bakery, providing a safe, uncontaminated barrier between an employee’s hand or glove and whatever product is being handled.

“Everybody has had those moments where they see someone handle multiple different items with the same glove and then cringe at the thought

42 • March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

of contamination,” added Sciuto. “We eliminate the possibility of this completely, keeping customers and employees alike, safe.”

The restaurant and food service industry has spent the better part of the last two decades committed to a green and sustainable agenda. The last year of the Pandemic has, in many cases, pushed eco-friendliness to the side as safety emerged as the priority. The Clean Hands line has enabled both an enhanced nod towards safety, while keeping a focus on the environment.

Sciuto’s ability to read the needs of the restaurant and food service marketplace has enabled the firm to keep its customer base ahead of upcoming trends. With new protocols on the horizon as restaurants reopen their dining rooms, Clean Hands will introduce a new line of biodegradable gloves. That will seamlessly merge both safety and the environment.

“All of our current products will be replaced with the new biodegradable versions as soon as they release. We’re currently working with suppliers to bring costs down and make the equipment as easily accessible as possible for restaurants operating on a reduced budget,” stated Sciuto.

One of the keys to the success of the line is the ROI compari-

son of Clean Hands with competitive products. “As we began the process of bringing the line to the marketplace, we found that it was not at all unusual for a single employee to use and dispose of up to thirty pairs of gloves a day,” Sciuto said. “With Clean Hands, we reduce that number to just one pair for an entire shift.”

“When the virus hit, many PPE companies marked up their products to astronomical levels, looking to profit off the plight of restaurants who had no other choice. We’re here now to offer that better choice,” said Sciuto.

“We’ve chosen to maintain our preCovid prices over making a quick buck because at the end of the day, our goal is to keep people safe and help businesses get back on their feet. We know that if we stay true to our ideals, the support will come.” This should be great news for many businesses who have had trouble finding the resources to up their PPE game, as they now should have less trouble meeting new standards and following protocols.

Although they’ve only been around for a decade, Clean Hands has already left its mark on the industry.

“Clean Hands has always existed to better the industry as a whole, and to better the lives of everyone involved in it. We treat all of our customers like family and push ourselves to our limits for each and every one,” Sciuto concluded. With that savings Clean Hands facilitates a unique recipe for success. “Not only do our customers save money but they are also able to accomplish an agenda of both new protocol cleanliness and environmental responsibility.”

For more information and pricing, visit CleanHandSystem.com.

March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 43

NEWS

EQUIPMENT SALES NETWORKING

FEDD GROUP MEMBERS CORNER

T

he Food Equipment Digital Disruptors are the ones who will forge a path in our industry, leading us into the next era of business through digital content in video, audio & written form. The FEDD group will bring the food equipment industry together, share best practices, provide tools and knowhow through this group, mastermind events and bi-annual conferences.

The skilled trades is at a crossroads and the FEDD members, collectively, will make our industry noisy, building the future together. The FEDD Group hosts bi-annual conferences and Mastermind events throughout the year to build community over competition and help its members build their personal and company brands for success in a 2021 world.

Rich Malachy CEO Malachy Parts & Service richard@malachycares.com

DIGITAL BRANDING GIVES YOU A VOICE We woke up this year and said, “2021, this is going to be MY year!”.

Coming through the other side of a pandemic that not one of us could have planned for, showed us the importance of and the power of the internet. Who used Zoom prior to March 2020? Who created or updated their Linkedin account or started a facebook group prior to March of 2020?

Most people I speak to say, “Not Me!”.

I’ve been putting in a ton of effort and time to build my brand on-line and with FEDD Nation, our voices become louder and stronger.

Here are 4 Reasons you need to pay attention to what’s happening on social media:

1. If you’re not part of the conversation, your competition probably is 2. By being active on the top platforms, you will become an industry thought leader 3. You are unique and your message matters 4. Your voices has the power to change, create and propel you and your business to new levels The food equipment industry is changing fast. The old ways of doing things, will never open new doors.

You’re probably asking, how can digital branding myself give me a voice and I’m going to give you a few prime examples. Keeping the 4 reasons above in mind, you have a business that you want to grow and a what we do on-line eventually moves offline.

I started The Food Equipment Digital Disruptors on Facebook because I wanted to build community around my brand and all I was doing. That very move, in turn, attaches my company, Malachy Parts & Service to all I do. Without ever once selling my business, it came with the territory. It has now evolved into much more. With around 800 industry members in the community that share likeminded ideas, we have the opportunity to talk openly about issues, ask for help, find answers, see what others are doing and ultimately, create change. There’s so much buzz going on in the group around hot topics that are screaming to be heard. Digital branding has given me and the FEDD Nation community, a voice. Understand, people do NOT want to be sold to. They want real, human connections and through video, it becomes very real. People do business with people and the relationship you build digitally, will absolutely flow off-line at conferences, events, dinners, meetings etc. and what you will find is that all your consistent efforts through content distribution is now going to pay off. It takes time and it takes commitment. This should be

44 • March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

part of your daily business strategy.

End of story. You have time, it just needs to be a priority. Your voice has the power to inspire and change!

If you join the group, you will begin to see that people are excited to talk openly about issues or problems they have seen happening for decades.

They want change. They want it now.

We are putting on a Virtual Conference, The Food Equipment Service Leaders Summit and I urge everyone who reads this to register for free www. fesleaderssummit.com I’ll close this months publication like this: Opportunities you never knew existed lie on the other side of your fear of getting behind the camera and sharing your business and experiences. The FEDD Group is your prime example. If I never started it, FEDD Corner would never exist and the people giving their time to be a part of it would not have their voice heard here.

Community is king. See you all in the group!

Evan Priesel Director of Sales and Marketing Univex Corporation evanp@univexcorp.com

Manufacturing Marketing Tip 101- Be Real and Authentic!

As a manufacturer in the foodservice world it is extremely important to be real and authentic on social media.

People buy from brands and companies that they trust. They don’t want to be lied to, or manipulated. Try not to “sell” so much on social media, but utilize the platform to show the world who your company is and your “story”.

Build a community and trust with your distributors and customers. Utilize customer reviews and feedback.

Reach out to others within the com-

munity and immerse yourself with your customers. Not only will they get to know you and your brand, but you can utilize that time to listen to what they have to say.

Listening on social media is extremely important and can help with your sales and marketing efforts! Don’t forget to continue to post content consistently and with a purpose.

Joe Ferri COO Pecinka Ferri joe@pecinkaferri.com

Don’t Be Left Out in the Cold Are you all buttoned-up for the recovery? There is a perfect storm brewing in a supply chain near you.

You probably want to avoid the inevitable chill associated with the higher costs and limited availability/ selection.

COVID-induced diminished manufacturing capabilities will continue to plague the industry for the foreseeable future.

• Furloughed workers and plants shuttered for deep cleaning - or permanently for economics - will exacerbate an already critical dearth of raw materials and component parts.

• Currently there is a scarcity of empty shipping containers at component manufacturers in Asia.

• The US’s west coast ports are operating at limited capacity, and container ships are waiting for weeks to unload.

• Microprocessor production is diverted towards automobile and computer production as a result of WFH demands.

• A shortage of over-the-road truck drivers compounds this situation.

continued on page 46

March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 45

FEDD GROUP

from page 44

Inventories are shrinking; lead times are expanding. Finished goods are in short supply.

Meanwhile positive fiscal signs, particularly the service economy, are piling up: • Another round of stimulus is on the way.

• Lower COVID19 case/hospitalization/mortality rates have lifted expectations.

• Loosening of restrictions on public gatherings are appearing.

• A roaring stock market feeds the optimistic sentiments.

• Immeasurably large pent-up demand is about to be unleashed.

Given this unbalanced supply/demand ratio you can expect extended lead times and rising prices.

If you have any notion whatsoever in expanding or improving, you must engage now with vendors to ensure that the warming trend doesn’t leave you high and dry.

with around 880 different servicers across the United States, its territories, and Canada.

As we move into the 2020’s, equipment is becoming more complex. Our newest oven, the SKYLINE, requires a servicer to be part gas technician, part electrician, part network administrator, part plumber, part chef and part customer service specialist. I do realize this is an awesome responsibility, so my part is to make sure that the technician is set up to perform all those tasks. This must be done through support, information, and training. The pandemic has forced us to use creative solutions, communication, and information sharing to strengthen our relationships. For anyone that has questions about Electrolux Professional or to schedule training opportunities, please contact me at terry.kelly@electroluxprofessional. com.

dients for success are universal. Gratitude, laughter, authenticity, focus of thought and intentional physiology are all important ingredients for success and fulfillment.

6. COOK!: To move ahead, we’ve got to take immediate and consistent action which move us forward toward our vision.

7. Find Out if it’s Good and Make It Better: Along our journey as we make the meal of our life, it’s important to gain feedback from others to find out if we’re on course toward what we’re hoping to make. Then, it’s key that we commit to growing, improving and making the story of our lives better.

We’ll have fun diving into these in the coming months! To Your Success!

Bobby Buivid Design / Build, Olympic Store Fixtures bobby@olympicstorefixtures.com

Jason Wange Cal-Mil & Foodservice Powerplant Network of Facebook

Terry Kelly Customer Support Manager, Electrolux Professional terry.kelly@electroluxprofessional.com

Servicer – Manufacturer Relationships In my years of working in the Customer Care Department of Electrolux Professional, I believe that the relationship between the Servicer and the Manufacturer is a very important one.

The servicers are our eyes and ears in the field. Without them, I am unable to get an accurate, unbiased, professional assessment of what is happening to my equipment. The service companies we work with, make the deepest impressions on my customers. Professionalism, Customer Service & technical dexterity are what I expect to be delivered from any service company.

As a manufacturer I also have the same responsibility to deliver to the service companies I work with. Electrolux Professional has a wide range of Food, Beverage, and Laundry Equipment. This has afforded me to work

jwange@calmil.com

When a Chef creates a meal of their dreams, there are certain steps they take to help create success. As it turns out, those steps are similar to the ones we take when we want to create the life of our dreams.

1. Become the Executive Chef of Your Life: We need to take 100% responsibility for our outcomes.

2. Decide What You Want to Make: In order to get where we want, we’ve got to decide what exactly it is we want to accomplish in our personal and professional lives.

3. Sharpen Your Tools: Goal-setting, visualization and affirmations along with removing limiting beliefs that might be holding us back are key tools in moving forward in your vision.

4. Choose Your Team: We become like those we surround ourselves with.

Choose wisely!

5. Get the Best Ingredients – Ingre-

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ON THE WEIGHT LIST Trying to narrow down the right piece of commercial cooking equipment can be an overwhelming task.

The explosion of new manufacturers and equipment variants over the past decade can make this process confusing. It can be difficult to pinpoint the right unit for a particular application or budget. We find ourselves analyzing things like: BTUs, Wattage, Voltage, HP, and why some electronic spec sheets look like they’ve been photocopied 1,000 times. We want to understand the performance and build quality to ensure we’re making a sound investment. There is one key spec that is not always considered but needs our attention. Weight for it… The WEIGHT! It can give us insight into the manufacturing process that relates to gauge and quality of the metals used, robustness of parts, and overall build strength. These items can directly translate to reliability, longevity, and performance. I selected the most universal piece of equipment found in commercial kitchens, the 36” Restaurant Series Range with 6 Open

Burners and Standard Oven Base. An analysis of the top 10 brands showed the following weights: Brand 1: 410lb Brand 2: 420lb Brand 3: 430lb Brand 4: 456lb Brand 5: 520lb Brand 6: 520lb Brand 7: 527lb Brand 8: 567lb Brand 9: 600lb Brand 10: 605lb That’s an almost 200lb difference!

200lb is equivalent to a large dog, or futon, or the person crashing on your futon that’s not picking up the subtle hints to clean themselves up and move on already. So, when you’re making your next equipment decision, check the weight list!

Charlie Neuman Sales Representative,

L.A.S. Associates/ FAIM Reps, LLC charlie@faimreps.com

Do You Know What Water is Going Into Your Foodservice Equipment?

In the food equipment industry there are a number of very important pieces of equipment that require water in order to work. Ice machines, espresso machines, steam cookers, warewashing and beverage systems would have no value in the kitchen without water. That being said, all food equipment which needs water requires different water conditions to run properly and efficiently for the duration of their life.

As many reading this know, water conditions among municipalities in the United States can vary wildly.

Many people consider the water in New York City to be “one of the best municipal water supplies”, whereas the water in Flint, Michigan is commonly regarded as “not great”. However it’s not just your state that makes a

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NEWS

by Leslie Super

REOPENING RESTAURANTS

PIES-N-THIGHS DUO PERSIST THROUGH THE PANDEMIC

P

ies-N-Thighs, a neighborhood favorite for folks craving home sweet comfort in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, keeps serving delectable fare, pandemic or not. Their crispy, fried chicken and wildly decadent donuts and pies are just the thing that have been lifting spirits during lockdown.

From the beginning, when chefpartners Sarah Sanneh and Carolyn Bane decided to start Pies-N-Thighs, after meeting while working in the kitchen at another Williamsburg gem, Diner, they were charted for success, especially after the New York Times got wind of what they were creating and gave them a rave review. Accolades soon followed from New York Magazine for “Best Donut”, the New York Daily News awarded them “Best Biscuits in New York” and national surveys from Food & Wine and Bon Appetit declared their apple pie and fried chicken some of the country’s “Best”.

With demand climbing, in 2010 they moved out of the tiny kitchen they were renting in the back of a quiet, dive bar and into new digs on the corner of S. 4th Street, outfitted with a “real dining room, a real kitchen and storage space,” said Sanneh. “We’ve grown a lot with the neighborhood.

When we first opened, we were cooking lunch for friends. As Williamsburg started to get flooded with more people coming in for dinner at night, we wanted to be able to offer our guests a place where they can sit down and enjoy a meal.”

Sanneh and Bane’s customer base also grew through the hum of national and international attention they

“We gave up on the idea in a couple of months people would be dining inside again and that freed us to think of ways to optimize the space.” were receiving through television appearances on the Martha Stewart show, features on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and Japanese press mentions. With that, they branched out even further with national catering, “which was a huge part of our business, but has been non-existent since the pandemic, offered Sanneh. We built a prep kitchen across the street, so to expand our walk-in coolers capacity.”

“When the pandemic hit, we made some physical changes to the space pretty quickly. We opened a pickup and takeout window and turned the front dining room into a big counter area for people to place and wait for

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their order in bad weather. We gave up on the idea in a couple of months people would be dining inside again and that freed us to think of ways to optimize the space. We got a big rotisserie and added rotisserie chicken to our menu, which has been a big hit.”

Besides adding a warm roasted chicken to their offerings, they also scaled down their larger meal formats, normally geared for catering, and repackaged them in sizes fit for families of four or for a few roommates hankering for some takeout.

“Our business model put us in a pretty good position when the pandemic hit, because we already had a thriving, reputable takeout and de-

livery business, which accounted for 30% of our profits and has increased during lockdown. But all told, we are still operating at a 40% loss. We wouldn’t have been able to make up the loss without getting a PPP loan,” continued Sanneh.

People can order takeout from their website, or from DoorDash and Postmates. Pies-N-Thighs raises the prices on their menu when customers order from those two platforms in order to absorb the cost of the commission, they’re charged to use them. Sanneh, explained: “We’re very upfront with our customers and let them know it’s cheaper for them if they order directly from our website.”

As we all know, the quality of the food starts with the quality of the ingredients and they’re pork, chicken and beef are all antibiotic and hormone free and are from humanely raised animals. “We buy big ticket items like our dairy, sugar and flour from Chef’s Warehouse and other items we’ll source from small farmers like the one we buy our organic pecans from in Texas for our Bourbon pecan pies,” Sanneh said.

During the pandemic they’ve been able to keep kitchen staff employed, cooking and assembling meals they deliver to hospitals, senior centers and food insecure families with funds raised through friends, family and customer donations.

With indoor dining reopening in New York City last month, Sanneh outlined her vision for how Pies-NThighs will operate their business going forward: “Right now it’s hard to try and guess, but we’re not taking anything off the table.”

M E T I C U L O U S LY A G E D A N D H A N D - C U T B Y M A S T E R B U T C H E R S © 2021 The Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Shop Online: allenbrothers.com - or - For Chefs: chefswarehouse.com

March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 51

NEWSMAKER

MATT SHER,

PRESIDENT, DAY & NITE / ALL SERVICE

W

ith the second round of PPP Funds and Restaurant Act aid on the horizon, New York City’s restaurants finally are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. TFS has been seeking out some of the top visionaries in the industry to help restaurant and hospitality professionals build a “What’s Next” strategy. Day & Nite’s Matthew Sher is the President and CEO of the New Hyde Park, NY Service and Installation company with self-performing offices all along the Eastern Seaboard. His finger has been on the pulse of the marketplace throughout the Pandemic. We asked him to share his thoughts as the industry prepares to welcome back guests to their dining rooms.

Matt Sher, President, Day & Nite / All Service

When we look back at this last year, you had a very early vision that dates back to last June for what reopening was going to look like.

We saw a shaky market throughout our geographic footprint on the East Coast. Markets like Florida and The Carolinas were doing better than the North East. Those markets took the time to steadily restore service. On the heels of first round PPP just to stay afloat, companies in the North East and elsewhere were still apprehensive and fearful of the market not coming back until sometime in 2022.

We looked at our responsibility over the past 50 weeks to provide weekly advice through TFS and other outlets, to support the broad markets we serve. We looked at this as much more than thoughts on mechanical services. Our goal was to create a weekly message on Business Best Practices and Planning, to ensure the industry we serve is outfitted with the insights that have enabled us to strengthen from the core.

You have always had a very realistic view in terms of balance and ROI for utilizing a portion of PPP funding to install an air-filtration solution?

In particular for those companies in a position to have access to the PPP funds, they should act without any delay. The pace of vaccination growing every day, indoor dining capacity continues to grow and the loan forgiveness is now allowed for capital improvements. So clearly, this is the time to make that investment in your HVAC system ensuring employee and patron safety,with an impact that will last far beyond Covid.

It also gives the restaurant some-

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“To them, it was never daunting, it was always about innovating and actively promoting their brand.” — Matt Sher thing to promote as part of their brand in terms of a commitment to health, hygiene and safety. It’s been interesting, clients of ours that have deployed best in the industry technology like Bi-Polar Ionization and promoted it have reported repeat clients at 4x the rate any time in their prior operating history.

You’ve had the opportunity to work with many different customers over the past year. Let’s talk about who got it right and why?

It’s really about the operators that have walked the walk.

They have ignored the politics and social challenges layered on top of the global pandemic and stayed focused on how to serve their customers. They never felt sorry for themselves or waited for answers which we have learned is a one-way ticket to bankruptcy. The best we’ve seen have reinvented themselves and did it again several times over the past year.

To them it was never daunting, it was always about innovating and actively promoting their brand.

You’ve worked with Atmos Air, considered by many to be the Rolls Royce of active air filtration. That line has been used in a number of major NHL & NBA arenas and NFL stadiums around the country. Is it overkill for a restaurant?

Very simply their technology isn’t based on size, so it has been a great

fit for our restaurant customers.

When it comes to safety and health, there isn’t such a thing as doing too much to restore faith in the market.

With that in mind, we understand that it has to make sense from a P&L and ROI standpoint. After doing our research and installing a number of these systems over the past decade plus, we are convinced that with Atmos Air Bi-Polar Ionization, we are installing the absolute best of breed active solution to ensure optimal indoor environmental quality. There are other solutions depending on the size of a space that can accommodate a smaller budget but with Atmos, we are ensuring real value. Keep in mind, we are manufacturer agnostic So, our goal is to ultimately promote what has the best impact. When it comes to sustainability, lessening carbon footprint and actively treating the air and surfaces, we love to steer our clients in the safest best direction for long term results.

When we are all vaccinated and reach what is being called herd immunity, will we all need to still wear a mask to greet our customers?

We expect Health, Hygiene and Safety to remain top of mind for the foreseeable future. The air we breathe ultimately dictates our well-being.

Why wouldn’t every employer want to see their employees’ health and

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Did You Know?

Liquor Display

IN STOCK & READY TO SHIP! Drop-In Ice & Water Unit

Slim Under-Bar Sink with Soap & Towel Dispensers

Blender Station

609-642-8389 Slim Under-Bar Sink with 2 Bowls & 1 Drainboard

sales@nbrequipment.com nbrequipment.com March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 53

LEGAL INSIDER

FROM ELLENOFF GROSSMAN & SCHOLE LLP

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF IMPLEMENTING MANDATORY VACCINATION POLICIES

A

fter months of unprecedented turmoil and uncertainty in the hospitality industry, Governor Cuomo announced on February 3, 2021 that municipalities were permitted to make their local restaurant employees eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. Shortly thereafter, Mayor DeBlasio designated restaurant employees eligible for the vaccine and reintroduced indoor dining in New York City.

In response to this welcome news, New York restaurants have begun to consider whether to implement mandatory vaccination policies for their employees. If they choose to adopt such a policy, restaurants should familiarize themselves with the recent guidance issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

(“EEOC”) in order to minimize related legal liability. The safest route, however, may be to encourage, but not require vaccinations. The most significant aspects of the EEOC’s vaccine guidance are summarized below, together with additional considerations for employers in the hospitality industry, specifically.

Disability Accommodation Considerations The EEOC’s guidance provides that employers, including restaurants, may implement mandatory vaccination policies but must accommodate employees who are unable to be vaccinated due to a disability or medical condition. If presented with this situation, the EEOC suggests that employers first determine whether the unvaccinated employee “would pose a direct threat

[to the workplace] due to a ‘significant risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of the individual or others that cannot be eliminated or reduced by reasonable accommodation.’”

In evaluating whether the employee poses a direct threat, the restaurant must conduct an individualized caseby-case assessment of the circumstances. If a restaurant determines that the employee would pose a “direct threat” of exposing others in the workplace to the virus, and the restaurant is unable to provide a reasonable accommodation, (e.g., such as permitting an employee to work remotely, or in an area of the establishment that permits social distancing, or taking legally mandated leave), the EEOC suggests that the employer may be able to legally exclude the employee from the workplace (though it does not mean that an employer may legally terminate the employee). However, restaurants should anticipate that excluding employees from the workplace may generate discrimination or retaliation claims.

Religious Exceptions If an employee opposes vaccination due to a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance prevents, the restaurant must provide a reasonable accommodation unless the accommodation would cause an undue hardship. “Undue hardship” is defined under the EEOC’s guidance as an accommodation that has “more than a de minimis cost or burden on the employer.”

The EEOC provides that “because the definition of religion is broad and

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Brian D. Polivy is an Associate in the Labor & Employment practice group at Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP in New York City. Mr. Polivy represents and advises businesses across all industries in a variety of labor and employment matters, including proper pay practice, employee classification, disability accommodation, employee discipline, and termination.

Mr. Polivy also has extensive experience representing employers with unionized workforces. He also defends employers against discrimination and retaliation claims brought by employees in federal and state court, and before administrative agencies, such as the EEOC and the New York State Division of Human Rights. Brian D. Polivy can be reached at bpolivy@egsllp.com or via phone at 212-370-1300.

protects beliefs, practices, and observances with which the employer may be unfamiliar, the restaurant should ordinarily assume that an employee’s request for religious accommodation is based on a sincerely held religious belief.” Similar to the EEOC’s guidance concerning employees with disabilities, employers may exclude from the workplace unvaccinated employees with sincerely held religious beliefs where an accommodation would cause undue hardship on the employer.

Wage and Hour Considerations Restaurants implementing mandatory vaccination policies should anticipate that time spent at the vaccination site will be considered compensable time. This could present an added expense for restaurants that are already facing grave economic challenges during the pandemic.

In addition, if an employee is scheduled to receive an employer-mandated vaccine on a day that he or she is

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RESTAURANT EXPERT

WITH DAVID SCOTT PETERS

2 MYTHS BLOATING YOUR FOOD COST

F

ood costs have been rising on a weekly basis for darn near two decades now. Most restaurant operators are quick to attribute their high food cost to these price changes. On top of that, the echo chamber of the Internet keeps compounding the problem, feeding you bad information like the average food cost for a restaurant is 34 percent or TV shows touting a three times markup. But these two ideas are myths. If you want to lower your food cost, let’s review why moving past these two food cost myths will help you focus on restaurant food cost saving ideas for independent owners.

Fallacy number one: the price I was paying for my products was the real problem. A lot of restaurant owners want to blame their high food cost on their distributors. That’s what

I thought when I was the operations manager of a multi-unit brew pub.

Fallacy number two: you’re supposed to operate based on an industry average food cost target.

The problem is what is average, and does it really apply to your restaurant?

Let’s start with fallacy number one: it really wasn’t my suppliers. It was how we handled our product in the restaurant.

One of the things I’ve learned coaching independent restaurants since 2003 is that most restaurants run seven to nine points above their ideal food cost.

What is ideal food cost? Ideal food cost is if everybody ran perfectly, portions went out perfectly, there was no waste, no theft, no spoilage, if you ran a perfect restaurant, based on what

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your customers order, you would hit your ideal food cost. But the average is just that – a number somewhere in the middle of all restaurants combined. If you’re a pizzeria, maybe you have a 24 percent ideal food cost. A steakhouse could have a 35 percent ideal food cost.

Just using those two numbers as an example, imagine most restaurants are running seven to nine points above that because they’re making mistakes in the kitchen. It’s not the 15 cents more a pound of cheese that your purveyor just hit you with because maybe it’s a commodity product.

So how do you deal with this? How do you stop making those mistakes?

Here is a short list of items you can put in place to help you gain some savings on food cost.

• Key Item Tracker: tracks five to 15 items on a shift-by-shift basis to make sure they’re not stolen.

This is high protein items, high movers, things that are important to you, things you don’t want stolen.

• Waste Tracker: tracks what you’re throwing away such as that half a case of tomatoes every Thursday because you’re over ordering on Monday.

You’ll find problems like somebody is burning steaks. So once you root out these reasons for waste, you can fix those problems today.

• Restaurant Checkbook Guardian: give up ordering without giving up your checkbook. Allow your managers to place orders within a budget.

And then they can’t go over budget without asking you for permission.

Plus, if they need to go over budget, they need to come to you with what the problems are and what they plan

David Scott Peters is an author, restaurant coach and speaker who teaches restaurant operators how to use his trademark Restaurant Prosperity Formula to cut costs and increase profits. His first book, Restaurant Prosperity Formula: What Successful Restaurateurs Do, teaches the systems and traits to develop to run a profitable restaurant. Known as THE expert in the restaurant industry, he uses a no-BS style to teach and motivate restaurant owners to take control of their businesses and finally realize their full potential. Thousands of restaurants have used his formula to transform their businesses.

To learn more about David Scott Peters, his formula for restaurant success, his book, or his coaching program, visit davidscottpeters.com.

to do to fix it.

• Portion controls: make sure every dish goes out the same every single time. Not only do portion controls help you control your costs, but they increase your sales because you give your guests the same experience every single time.

• Line checklists: make sure everything is in the right place, that you have the right portion controls so everything tastes right.

• Time-temp checklists: check the temperatures of your coolers on a regular basis so you’re not throwing away product because it’s going bad.

Now, the second reason restaurant owners’ food cost is so high, the biggest fallacy, is they are operating under the wrong assumption that food cost can or should be at 34 percent. To understand why that average is probably not your restaurant’s target food cost, you have to understand prime cost, budgets, ideal food cost and menu engineering.

Prime cost is total cost of goods sold,

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March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 57

THE FOODIE QUIPPER

WITH JOE FERRI

DE-DUCTING FOR PROFITABILITY F inding all the deductions that are due to both you and your business can be a daunting chore. Uncovering all of these have morphed into an annual ritual. This year will present additional challenges and opportunities.

Most likely, there remains a major de-duction that you might not have yet considered: cooking without ducts!

By now, you probably know about ventless cooking appliances. There is much to be said about their por-

In stark contrast to traditional hoods, which when installed become part of the building infrastructure, ventless equipment can be easily moved and even removed from leased premises.

tability. In stark contrast to traditional hoods, which when installed become part of the building infrastructure, ventless equipment can be easily moved and even removed

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from leased premises.

Ductless cookers of all stripes feature modular construction. By their very nature, they simplify reconfiguring cooking lines for menu and/or cuisine changes.

In our ever-changing foodservice landscape, flexibility reigns supreme.

Ventless cookers deliver on the promise to keep an operation nimble, as various new norms emerge.

We hear a lot about cordcutting and wireless tech.

Many of the same physical benefits apply to ventelimination.

And there is more – a lion’s share of this equipment employs the tech interfaces that are vital for a seamless integration into an operator’s stack.

Early adopters of ventless included non-traditional locations such as travel hubs, and alternative sights in schools, healthcare, and B&I. Now they have gone mainstream. All the operators who are challenged by utilizing nonventilated spaces have the opportunities to expand.

Costing about the same or less than conventional

Joe Ferri (AKA the Foodiequipper) was conceived in a Greenwich Village speakeasy’s walk-in box, the love child of the hat check girl and bartender. He is in his fifth decade of (somewhat) gainful employment in the foodservice industry. He is past chairman of MAFSI and currently COO of Pecinka Ferri Assoc., a NY area equipment, furnishings and supplies representative. Follow Joe @joeferri on Twitter.

hood installations, ductless cookers feature lower construction & permitting costs. They enhance ROI through a reduction in the total cost of ownership, with savings in service & maintenance as well as energy efficiency.

Unlike hoods, they are not considered a building improvement.

Subject to one’s own situation, an operator can expect further benefits of accelerated depreciation, and/or complete deductibility.

As we modularize service, uncoupling food production from delivery, so too should we consider freeing our cooking from being chained to the old-fashioned hood/ventilation systems.

De-ducting your foodservice operation’s cooking equipment can improve your bottom line, give you flexibility and probably provide substantial tax benefits as well.

March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 59

NEWS

COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY DINING

GRUBHUB TEAMS WITH NYU TO FIND CREATIVE DINING SOLUTION FOR STUDENTS

N

ew York University and the dining contractor Chartwells knew that the most challenging of times required a creative solution for second semester ‘20-’21 food service. They found what many might consider to be a somewhat unlikely partner to enable them to accomplish that: Grubhub.

Grubhub was founded in 2004 to connect hungry diners with great, local restaurants. It has since grown to more than 31 million diners and over 300,000 restaurants in its marketplace.

It serves some 4,000+ cities and fulfills some 658,000 orders to restaurants across the country each day.

The Fall semester of 2020 brought a unique set of and, hopefully once in a lifetime, challenges as NYU and Chartwells faced the daunting task of feeding the university’s student population in their dorm rooms. With multi-floored dormitories and limited

“This program not only provided quarantined students with a trusted way to get food safely but allowed students to support nearby restaurants and benefit the local economy with their orders.” — Sean Ir, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Grubhub elevator capacity, it simply could not be accomplished with the level of service that NYU has been known for.

With a goal of reaching that level of expectations for the second semester, NYU thought out of the box by challenging Grubhub to customize a solution. With Sean Ir, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Grubhub, the company was able to structure a plan in which each NYU student would be given a daily stipend of Grubhub dollars to spend on food.

Many restaurant and food service pundits think that the Grubhub model has always been based on operators utilizing Grubhub drivers. “While in fact, for the first ten years of our his-

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tory, we worked with restaurants that had their own drivers, Ir added. But in 2014, we added delivery services so that restaurants could utilize our drivers for deliveries instead of having to develop and manage their own fleet.

Grubhub brought a history of serving the nation’s colleges to the recent collaboration with NYU. “In 2018, we acquired a company named Tapingo that helped campuses offer online ordering to their students and staff, which would become the backbone of our Grubhub Campus Dining offering now offered on hundreds of campuses across the country,” Ir added.

“Grubhub exists to help restaurants and merchants drive online orders. We do this through our Marketplace that connects to more than 31 million diners. Our Direct Order Toolkit that adds online ordering to a restaurant or merchant’s existing website and channels, and Grubhub Campus Dining which is optimized for order ahead and contactless grab-and-go for students and staff (especially important for health and safety during the COVID pandemic).”

Restaurants in the NYU community have of course welcomed the additional business that the program has brought to them as they battle through the Pandemic. “This program not only provided quarantined students with a trusted way to get food safely but allowed students to support

nearby restaurants and benefit the local economy with their orders,” Ir said.

In a survey conducted by Technomic, nearly nine out of 10 independent operators agreed that the Grubhub Marketplace increases the volume of takeout and delivery orders, eight of 10 independent operators agreed that Grubhub increases customer frequency and seven of 10 independent operators ranked the company highest among leading providers for attracting new customers.

The Chartwells/Grubhub program was a seamless fit as the two have been working with the Chartwells team for a number of years across a large number of campuses around the U.S., including NYU. “So, they were already familiar with our capabilities when they approached us asking to help with the delivery component of getting meals to students who were quarantined,” Ir explained. “Once we heard the challenges that NYU and Chartwells needed to solve, we identified a game plan that we could quickly roll out.”

“We assembled a task force of people from different parts of the company to bring the right mix of speed and support to serve NYU’s students.

Chartwells provided at least $60 per day in Grubhub gift cards, and we offered free Grubhub+ memberships

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FOODSERVICE TECHNOLOGY

WITH MATT GAVIN OF RPI INDUSTRIES

UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF TECH IN REOPENING STRATEGIES

T

here are a number of trends that have come from the year of the Pandemic. At the top of that list in the foodservice industry is technological advancement. The goal of adopting these new technologies is to add value, consistency, and overall satisfaction in all segments of the restaurant and foodservice industry.

We live in a world consumed by technology, and if this pandemic has taught us anything it’s that we rely on technology more than we realized.

In order to look at the impact of the technology boom, we need to look at the dramatic increase in takeout & delivery. The backbone of that growth has been the rapid increase in foodservice industries adopting order aggregators.

With aggregator software, a company’s aggregator essentially works together with delivery providers and the company’s POS system, automatically gathering all the crucial data, online orders, and payment into one central location. When you walk into any restaurant or ghost kitchen today, you will see a bank of tablets. Each of them is fielding orders from Grubhub, Uber Eats, DoorDash and the countless other local options.

This has made the aggregating software by companies including Ordermark and It’s A Checkmate an essential tool in creating a smooth flow of data from customer to kitchen to delivery driver.

Aggregators are going to become a necessity as delivery options have become a staple for customers during the pandemic.

With a tip of the hat to the history of our industry, I recognize that nothing can ever replace the experience of watching a dish being cre-

“The next frontier to track will be watching how robotics moves into the actual restaurant and foodservice dining rooms.” ated and tailored right in front of you by a professional chef. The reality of the pace of life today is moving the priority away from dining experience to the production of meals that can consistently replicate the restaurant experience.

As food equipment manufacturers, our factories are starting to reflect those changes. The combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics is going to give manufacturers an opportunity to produce foodservice equipment with the latest technology at affordable costs.

Our work at RPI during a period where technology and food delivery options are more popular than ever, has taught me about the importance and value of a company taking advantage of software. Technology is just about pre-planning as it is with a diagnosis. You want to gather data based on what you see, leverage that to predict what could happen and observe spikes to determine what the causes are.

Having an efficient way to track that data allows these analyses to take place. Artificial intelligence will recognize inefficiencies and patterns and eventually be able to automate those processes and analyze the historical data to make insightful business decisions.

The factory floor will always require manual labor to seamlessly merge the technology into the manufacturing process. The human labor would become a supervisor of a robotics team.

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There are certain aspects of running a business that clearly need to be steered by the human production team. I don’t necessarily predict that foodservice and robotics will grow rapidly-- production equipment aside-- because of the issues in justifying ROI. The next frontier to track will be watching how robotics moves into the actual restaurant and foodservice dining rooms. Last month’s purchase of Chowbotics by DoorDash is eye opening as we start to envision your salad or pizza being prepped by a robot.

While the food service industry may be hesitant to integrate technology to replace the role of a chef. I do see great value in the Pandemic-led obsession for technology being a perfect fit for the new cleaning and disinfecting protocols.

No one trusts anyone anymore.

You’ll see someone wash their hands in front of you, but you still won’t want to shake their hand. You’ll see signs in a restaurant informing you that all employees wear gloves, and all counters are consistently cleaned, but you want to actively see those health and safety precautions being enforced. This is where I think people are trusting technology more than other humans with sanitizing and disinfecting. The cleaning supplies that are actively used in a restaurant are also going to help generate that level of trust with a customer when choosing where to dine inside.

Matt Gavin is Vice President of New Technology at RPI Industries. Gavin hails from Moorestown, NJ. He is a graduate of Lehigh University where he earned a degree in ingtegrated engineering.

His interest in Math and Science and business has found a home as he works to bring the very latest in technology to the iconic manufacturer of foodservice cabinets and display cases. He can be reached with your new tech ideas and questions at mgavin@rpiindustries.com

Customers want to feel that every precaution necessary is being made to ensure their safety. Here at our RPI plant in South Jersey, we’ve started using antimicrobial films for our touch screens. However, our screens are essentially contactless-- you walk up, scan your QR code, and won’t have to touch anything but a disinfected bag.

I see the next step as we get ready for a return to normal life, will be the use of technology to “pack more under the hood” not replace products on our line. For instance, we can utilize different heating technologies, and ultimately construct a system that can do both heating and cooling.

That would make our cases more energy-efficient and cost less to operate.

This pandemic has proven that technology is becoming an essential part of the foodservice business. As companies across the globe collaborate with technology advancements, I predict that we are going to start observing new ways of operation and success.

We are excited to embrace this movement and (fingers crossed) expect to be part of a movement by global manufacturers when we reconvene again at the next NAFEM (North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers) Show.

March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 63

SPRAGUE ON RESTAURANT MARKETING STRATEGIES

RETURN TO BASICS - RESTAURANT MARKETING STRATEGIES 101

I

nstant news, information, social media platforms, and viral content are all at the tips of our fingers in today’s digital media age. However, it’s important to consider what used to be known as a media mix for foodservice industry marketing.

A media mix is a recipe that should include the much-talked about technology that has impacted so many facets of our personal and business lives.

Email and social media are powerful tools. But the reality is that we now have email inboxes that have thousands of messages that we do not have the time to read. It’s time to examine a return to a tried and tested tool: Direct Mail and the US Postal Service.

As the Vice President of Mail Shark, a premier national direct mail company, I’ve had a front row seat to view the effectiveness of direct mail and digital marketing and their ability to drive sales for restaurants. While consumers have been exposed to new technologies and forms of communication nothing cuts through the ove r- c o m m u n i c a t i o n more than being consistent and appealing to as many senses as possible.

I have watched time and time again as direct mail maintains the return on investment, either by itself or in omnichannel campaigns.

To compare the differences in receiving an advertisement on our smart devices versus a physical piece of mail we ran two tests to see what sort of responses we could generate. We ran email marketing and

“Direct mail’s tactile nature makes it 70% more memorable, 56% more trustworthy and engages our motivational response 20% more than digital advertising.” social media display ads for a month for two different pizzerias. Both pizzerias have great reviews and a strong customer base. The emails and display ads’ offers were very aggressive. They received very little engagement and no purchases. These tests, compared to our direct mail programs for these pizzerias, showed drastic differences.

When using direct mail, it was proven that there were many responses - actual purchases. The costs for both tests were comparable to the direct mail.

Let’s take a look at why the difference. I’m convinced it runs deeper than just an overflow of email. What is happening is that consumers are, once again, looking forward to get-

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ting their mail out of the mailbox. In fact, after a year of isolation and Zoom calls, this is the year for something tangible. I have read the research that showed consumers enjoy receiving mail - including Millennials - and that was before the isolation of quarantine impacted all of us.

I want to talk about the advantages of your existing or potential customers being able to touch and review your mail piece while sitting at the kitchen table, or, if it has a magnet on it (remember those? we have them!) affixing it to the refrigerator and looking at it each time they pass by. According to USPS research, direct mail’s tactile nature makes it 70% more memorable, 56% more trustworthy and engages our motivational response 20% more than digital advertising.

Direct mail’s comeback is about nostalgia, and it’s about disruption where the consumer is open to being disrupted; it’s about less noise in the mailbox than in the inbox, and it’s about a new level of design creativity offering new ways to engage and interact with your brand. We offer three sizes for menus with or without a coupon fold, brochures, flyers, and two sizes of scratchoff mailers. We also have

Lorianna Sprague is Mail Shark’s Vice President of Marketing. Her vision has helped the PA based firm design what has evolved into the restaurant marketing industry standard: The Weekly Mailing Strategy™. The program was developed to make direct mail as affordable and stress-free as possible for business owners who spend most of their time running their businesses. It works by taking the total number of mail pieces, as well as the total cost a restaurant’s campaign, and spreading them out evenly over a period of up to 8 weeks. She is no stranger to the foodservice industry as she prevsiously served as the SEO manager of Webstaurant. The award winning Sprague is known throughout the restaurant and foodservice industry as a go-to source for Email Marketing, Social Media consulting, SEO, as well as content marketing and strategy, and larger campaign conceptualization and execution.

three sizes of paper and plastic postcards, two sizes of magnets, 3 sizes of box toppers, and a monthly box topper program.

Don’t let the choices overwhelm you. We have a team of dedicated professionals that guide you through what really is a simple process. In each case, work directly with our clients to provide them with the right combination of products, creative, offers, mailing list, mailing schedule, and payment schedule to generate a significant increase in purchases from the mailers while working with each restaurants’ unique weekly cash flow and supply/ scheduling resources to avoid overwhelming them with the response, while creating steady growth for their restaurant.

Our suggestion to get started is to understand exactly who you want to target. We start with a 5-mile radius around your business for the most economical approach to a combined acquisition and retention campaign,

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NEWS

PLANT BASED MENU SOLUTIONS

NY BASED BAREBURGER INKS PACT WITH GOOD CATCH FOR INNOVATIVE PLANT BASED FARE

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ith an eye towards expanding its menu offerings Bareburger has added a pair of new fish-free burgers to its menu.

After signing an agreement with Good Catch, the organic based chain has introduced a Plant-Based Classic Fish Burger for a limited time offering: The Gulf (a vegan option stacked high with fresh veggies and signature spinach-based green goddess dressing) and The Bay (bursting with a spicy kick from jalapenos and chipotle buttermilk ranch).

Good Catch’s Plant-Based Classic Fish Burger is also available as a protein option on the “Be My Burger” section of the menu, so consumers can customize their own burger.

These limited time menu items are available at two locations in New York City: Bareburger Astoria (33-21 31st Ave, Queens) and Upper West Side (795 Columbus Ave, Manhattan), with more locations coming later in the Spring.

This partnership with Bareburger is Good Catch’s first foodservice partnership for its Plant-Based Classic Fish Burger, which is part of its existing frozen line of appetizers and entrees. Offering a light whitefish texture and flavor, the Plant-Based Classic Fish Burger is simply seasoned with green onion, celery, sea salt and pepper. It gives conscious consumers the option to enjoy a classic and indulgent fish burger without the adverse environmental impact. Good

Catch’s plant-based seafood products are high in protein and free of dairy, GMOs, mercury, and toxins. Founding chefs Derek and Chad Sarno created the company’s proprietary six-legume blend (peas, chickpeas, lentils, soy, fava beans and navy beans), achieving a texture that mimics the flakiness of seafood.

“We are so excited to partner with Bareburger to offer our delicious Plant-Based Classic Fish Burger, a comfort favorite, with a taste of the ocean made from plants,” said Chad Sarno, Co-Founder & Chief Culinary Officer of Good Catch. “At Good Catch, we pride ourselves on working with like-minded partners that are focused on bringing plant-based and

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“With Earth Day around the corner, we couldn’t think of a better time to roll out this great special!” — Jonathan Lemon sustainably-sourced ingredients and offerings to consumers. Bareburger is a natural fit for us as we continue to grow our foodservice footprint.”

Since its founding in 2009, Bareburger has worked with a network of sustainable farmers and partners to bring local, ethically-sourced, organic and sustainable menu items made from clean ingredients to its restaurants. Bareburger’s menu features clean, feel-good comfort food items such as burgers, salads, sandwiches, and so much more.

The restaurant’s sustainability efforts go far beyond their food, as each restaurant is crafted with reclaimed and recycled materials. Bareburger closely aligns with Good Catch’s mission of being environmentally conscious and providing great-tasting food to brand loyalists to meet rising consumer demand.

“At Bareburger we’ve always strived to be at the forefront of culinary innovation,” said Bareburger Culinary Director, Jonathan Lemon. “Now with Good Catch we can showcase that innovation to all of our guests who are looking for something different. Not only will you be able to try our two new signature burgers, but you can create your own flavorful combination by using our patented “BeMyBurger”

option as well. With Earth Day around the corner, we couldn’t think of a better time to roll out this great special!”

Good Catch has been steadily growing its foodservice footprint throughout the last year. In October 2020, the brand announced its partnership with 100% plant-based restaurant Veggie Grill for an exclusive tuna melt. Last month, Good Catch announced its partnership with Whole Foods Market for its plant-based deli-style tuna salad in the prepared foods section across 10 states. Additionally, in its home state of Texas, Good Catch launched in TellUs Joe, a local Austin plant-based restaurant. The plant-based deli-style tuna salad is available on the menu in a Tuna Sandwich. Good Catch has plans to continue its aggressive foodservice expansion throughout 2021.

Gathered Foods, makers of Good Catch plant-based seafood, is a revolutionary food company focused on propelling change through craveable plant-based alternatives. Good Catch is a chef-driven brand developing flavorful, plant-based seafood alternatives.

Bareburger is the leader in America’s “better burger” trend, emphasizing high-quality, ethically sourced, organic ingredients in a casual environment. Founded in 2009 in a vacant bakery in Astoria, New York, Bareburger has grown to 38 restaurants across the United States, with locations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

THE #1 PLANT-BASED BRAND IN FOODSERVICE1 Please call 877-511-5777 for more information.

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Your customers’ trust is in your hands So put your hands in Elara brand gloves Show guests you care about their health. Protection you can count on, from the brand you trust.

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For each case purchased, Elara donates a meal for a person struggling with hunger in America

March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 67

SCOOP

INSIDER NEWS FROM THE FOODSERVICE + HOSPITALITY SCENE

Do you have the SCOOP on any foodservice and hospitality news? Send items to SCOOP Editor Joyce Appelman at tfs@totalfood.com

over/under applications. The platform size is 8.7 in W x 7.1 in D (220 mm W x 180 mm D) and the overall dimensions are 8.9 in W x 11.5 in D x 5.0 in H (227 mm W x 292 mm D x 128 mm H). The scales can be used in restaurants, meal portion control, meat preparation areas, deli’s, catering kitchens, cafeterias selling by weight of plate, and bakers who need to weigh dough for preventing baking errors.

DETECTO ANNOUNCES NEW WPB SERIES WATERPROOF PORTION SCALES SCOOP has learned that DETECTO’s WPB series waterproof portion scales are NTEP and OIML legal for trade and come in 6, 12, and 30 lb capacities, making them ideal for restaurant commercial use.

The WPB series features an IP68-rated stainless steel platform and scale base and rechargeable battery power included. The versatile scales offer checkweighing, counting mode, dual range weight, builtin 120V AC power cord, compact size, accuracy to 1 gram, 0.56-in-high (14-mm-high) LED digits, and they are intuitive and easy to use.

DETECTO’s WPB series scales are ideal for heavy washdown environments requiring checkweighing

PIZZA IS GETTING A VEGAN MAKEOVER WITH PLANTBASED MOZZARELLA FROM FINLAND SCOOP has learned that Valio USA, known for its Finlandia cheeses, is showcasing its just-launched Oddlygood Plant-Based Mozzarella at several pizza trade shows this year to tap into the growing market for vegan pizza. According to ordering platform Detecto’s WPB-30 digital scale

continued on page 70

Scotsman’s Prodigy Plus ice machine features make having a safe and healthy environment effortless AUTOALERT INDICATOR LIGHTS Easily visible LED lights provide key information without the need to touch / remove panels.

ANTIMICROBIAL PROTECTION Built-in AgION® components help inhibit the growth of microbes, bacteria, mold and algae.

For unit specifications and other brand information, scan the QR code to visit the Scotsman website.

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ONE-TOUCH CLEANING Our Prodigy Plus Cuber one-touch cleaning system makes preventative maintenance simple and efficient.

XSAFE™ SANITATION SYSTEM An optional sanitation system that circulates cold oxygen plasma inside of the machine to help sanitize the air and surrounding surfaces.

Scotsman is represented in NYC Metro by: PBAC & Associates LTD 914-793-9000 Financing Options Available

March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 69

SCOOP

INSIDER NEWS, from page 68

The plant-based cheese is available shredded in 2.2-lb. bags and in 6.6-lb. logs. It provides a delicious and affordable vegan alternative for any recipe that calls for creamy, melty cheese such as quesadillas, paninis, flatbreads and Italian entrées. It is made with shea and coconut oils and potato starch.

Valio USA has created a suite of resources for distributors and operators, including training videos, recipe ideas and an ambassador program that will showcase chefs. They can be accessed at https:// oddlygood.net/us/foodservice/.

Vegan pizza made with Oddlygood Plant-Based Mozzarella

Slice’s State of Local Pizza report, vegan pizza orders jumped 106 percent in 2020 and nearly 450,000 Sliceaffiliated pizza shop customers tried a new pizza.

“Eating habits are clearly changing. With our long heritage as cheesemakers, we saw an opportunity to bring our expertise to the fast-growing plant-based category,” says Mari Meriluoto, director of marketing and business development for Valio USA, a division of Valio, based in Helsinki, Finland.

Oddlygood Mozzarella is a meltable vegan cheese that provides a delicious and gooey addition to pizza, arguably America’s favorite comfort food. Created by chefs with pizza makers in mind, Oddlygood made its trade show debut in January with a virtual booth at Pizza Expo 365, an online pizza marketplace. Next up are Expo West, IDDBA and Pizza Expo International, whether virtually or in person.

“Oddlygood is as easy to work with as any other cheese and delivers on great taste, which has been lacking in vegan mozzarellas,” Mariluoto says. “It also maintains its creaminess when cold.” Oddlygood Mozzarella now tops vegan pies in some 300 Kotipizza restaurants, the largest pizza chain in the Nordic countries.

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NEW RIFF DISTILLING RELEASES 15-YEAR-OLD BOURBON TO BENEFIT RESTAURANT RELIEF FUNDS SCOOP has learned that New Riff Distilling will release nearly 900 bottles of a 15-year-old straight bourbon whiskey in early spring, with all profits benefiting relief funds for bar, restaurant and service industry workers in Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati. Anchored by the Cincinnati Bourbon Society, the project aims to raise $120,000 in direct relief for a group hard-hit by the pandemic.

“We sprung this extremely limited bottling from our warehouse to support the bar and restaurant community that has supported us from the start,” said Hannah Lowen, vice president of operations.

“This is how we can raise a glass — and funds — for our embattled friends.”

Distilled in Indiana and bottled in Kentucky by New Riff, this exceptionally rare high-rye bourbon is bottled in bond without chill filtration. The New Riff Relief 15 Year Straight Bourbon Whiskey will be priced at $200 per bottle, with all profits donated to the Ohio Restaurant Employee Relief Fund and the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, who will disburse the funds as direct relief to individuals in need.

New Riff Distilling’s 15-year-old straight bourbon whiskey

New Riff will base the launch in its home community, with the bottles only being available through the distillery itself. The distillery’s in-house tasting bar, The Aquifer, will also offer single pours as well.

Kentucky born and urban bred, New Riff is an independently-owned distillery in Northern Kentucky — the gateway to bourbon country. In 2014, founder Ken Lewis, a visionary Kentucky liquor retailer and entrepreneur, saw a need for a new riff on an old tradition when it came to Kentucky bourbon. The Newport, KY., distillery produces bourbon, rye and Kentucky Wild Gin. For more information, https:// newriffdistilling.com.

QWICK SPONSORS NEW YORK STATE RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION JOB BOARD continued on page 72

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SCOOP

INSIDER NEWS, from page 70

SCOOP hears that with New York restaurants opening up and the need for staffing and managing issues that restaurants face with those openings, Qwick is sponsoring the New York State Restaurant Association Job Board. As part of the sponsorship, every member will now have access to Qwick Start — Qwick’s brand new program for businesses to try Qwick with no barrier to entry and pay a 0% markup.

This partnership offers a feasible and free solution for member restaurants to access staff on-demand and help keep their business and operations running smoothly.

Here are some more perks of the sponsorship: • New York State Restaurant Association members can use Qwick for free • Post a shift in 30 seconds and Qwick will send you someone in minutes • Hire your favorite Professionals for free or request them when you need them back • Get a dedicated local account manager so you always get the help you need With better days for the restaurant industry ahead, Qwick is working diligently to help hospitality and restaurant Professionals earn extra income, while also making it seamless and cost-effective for restaurants to get back on their feet. You can find more details about the partnership and sign up https://www. nysra.org/job-board.html.

CHOCOLATE LOVERS ALERT: LINDT & SPRÜNGLI UNVEILS NEW CHOCOLATE BAR SWEETENED WITH DRIED COCOA PULP SCOOP has learned that Lindt & Sprüngli, in cooperation with the Swiss-Ghanaian start-up Koa, has revealed a chocolate bar that is sweetened with dried cocoa pulp. This is the first time a chocolate bar has been sweetened with dried cocoa pulp, which comes from small-scale farmers. Hailed as a necessary step for sustainable and responsible chocolate, this innovative ingredient is the cornerstone of the new Excellence Cocoa Pure bar.

“2021 will be the year of the cocoa fruit. Using the cocoa pulp is key to sustainable, healthy and delicious chocolate,” says Anian Schreiber, co-founder and managing director of Koa. Until now, the pulp that surrounds the cocoa beans could not be processed in cocoa-growing countries due to a lack of infrastructure and technology. In conventional cocoa processing, only a small part of the white pulp was used for fermentation. Koa has found an innovative way to gently process the cocoa fruit in close cooperation with 1,600 smallholders.

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merce capabilities since the outbreak of COVID-19 by expanding offerings including warerooms, curbside pickup and Instacart delivery.

Despite the challenges of COVID-19, QSR restaurants have exceeded industry expectations.

Here are some stand-out QSR innovators you need to know about.

FAZOLI’S HIT HIGHEST SALES NUMBERS IN BRAND’S 33-YEAR-HISTORY

The Lindt Excellence Cacao Pur bar

STOP & SHOP INTRODUCES PICKUP LOCKER AT BOSTON STORE SCOOP has learned that Stop & Shop Supermarket which operates more than 400 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey, is debuting a new contactless option for fulfilling online orders and now offers a walk-up grocery locker pickup option at its store in Boston.

The locker allows customers to skip the line by ordering their groceries online and picking them up from secure and temperature-controlled lockers at a time of their choosing.

To use the new e-commerce service, customers can visit the Stop & Shop website and select the Boston location. Within 15 minutes of their chosen pickup time, customers will receive a code via text on their mobile device that they can scan or enter at the locker kiosk to retrieve their order. Once the code has been entered, the designated lockers, located in the store’s main entrance, will automatically open with their pre-bagged groceries ready for retrieval.

While Stop & Shop pickup locations are typically a drive-up service, the locker program is designed to provide a more convenient option for store locations where many customers arrive via foot or bike. The retailer has been bolstering its omnichannel com-

SCOOP noted that Fazoli’s, America’s largest premium QSR Italian chain from Lexington, KY, attributes menu innovation and value as instrumental in the soaring sales and traffic that hit an all-time high in January with 22% and 18% increase year-overyear, reaching the brand’s most successful month on record.

“In over 30 years of senior management and 20 years as a CEO, Fazoli’s January sales and traffic numbers are the highest I’ve experienced in my career,” said Fazoli’s CEO Carl Howard. “What we’re doing is very clearly working. Fazoli’s remains a leader in the industry with record-breaking sales because we truly offer something for everyone,” Howard said. “We listen to our fans and explore opportunities to create new items and add even more value, and it continues to pay off. And the best part is, we’re never done.

We’re gearing up for a very exciting 2021 with many more innovations up our sleeve. After such an encouraging opening month, I really can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has in store for Fazoli’s.”

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE CAFÉ ON TRACK TO HIT STORE MILESTONE SCOOP heard that the fast-casual chain delivered its ninth consecutive year of positive same-store sales, with sales up 7.5%. The brand opened 99 new cafes, including its 900th location, in Fort Benning, GA. It currently has 920 Tropical Smoothie, which signed 254 new franchise agreements in 2020, currently has 920 locations and is on track to reach more than 1,000 operating restaurants in 2021. It has more than 600 new cafes in its opening pipeline.

“As I look back on this past year, I’m incredibly proud of how this brand thrived during difficult circumstances and times, said Charles Watson, CEO of Tropical Smoothie Café. “Our focus on serving our

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March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 73

NEWS

RESTAURANT OPERATIONS

BAR & RESTAURANT: LEARNING TO EVOLVE O ver the past year, the bar and restaurant industry has faced hardships that no one could’ve predicted. Now, more than ever it is important for these businesses to find other profitable avenues. Motion Technology, Inc. is a proud sponsor of the Bar & Restaurant Expo’s virtual experience, EVOLVE and we welcome you to join us! Since November 2020, the Bar & Restaurant Expo has been safely touring the US to speak with knowledgeable own-

ers and operators within the industry who are prevailing, despite the perils of the pandemic.

If you work in the bar and restaurant industry, EVOLVE is for you! Whether your establishment is struggling to adhere to state regulations, or closed for the winter season, you will find this virtual event exceedingly beneficial. Listen to the tips and tricks that are getting bars and restaurants through these difficult times and find out what is and isn’t working for different concepts.

Now, we know that owners and operators across the country have put their hearts and souls into their businesses, and we want them to know that they are not alone. We want as many businesses as possible to come out of this thriving and on their way to more success than they had before the pandemic.

That is why we are supporting the EVOLVE Series. We participate in an industry talk that shares actionable foodservice solutions and insights that we hope will create new op-

portunities and revenue streams for businesses like you. Guidelines are changing day by day and we want to share our knowledge to help your business succeed during these very volatile times.

The EVOLVE series is an opportunity for owners and operators in the food and beverage industry to come together to share their experiences and most importantly find optimism in the new normal that will drive business. Learn more at https://events. barandrestaurantexpo.com/

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RE-OPENING STRATEGIES

WITH GERRY MURPHY

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY (AND ERIN GO BRAGH)

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ow it’s been a year and you are still hanging in there. Try to remind yourself that the world is grateful for your abilities as a businessperson and as an operator of a food services establishment.

You and your team were the first to treat the city you love with kindness and hostility, delivering food to all area First Responders. As I write this column, I feel the Covid crisis is finally moving to our side view mirror.

So, you still must keep your eye on the road.

With the House approving the American Rescue Plan of 2021 which was born as the Restaurant Act Bill, we need you to lobby to get this approved by the Senate. You don’t settle for the crumbs that your elected leaders are tossing at you. Get yourself your staff and friends and family in the legislators offices at their home office and in their state capital offices. You can reach them at 202-224-3121. Your business should demand nothing less than what you had before Covid hit and keep all the crumbs that was tossed into your lap during Covid .

St Patrick’s Day has always been a special day for not only corned beef and cabbage as well as a matching stout. With that in mind, retail wine and cocktail sales should be part of your forever new business plan.

Many states have given us the opportunity to pack wine and spirits to go. The hope is that this new revenue stream will stay in place. With Uber Eats paying a $1billion plus for the beverage delivery service Drizzly last month, clearly its here to stay.

As dining patrons return to your dining room, don’t take your eye off the growth of takeout and delivery.

Looking down the road what are you doing about delivery do you have a plan to eliminate third party delivery companies or replace them with lower cost options. Be honest have you figured how much you are taking off your bottom line for third party food delivery vendors.

Spring is on its way and so is St Patrick’s Day. Why not start looking at March 17th as the middle rather than the end of the “Wearing of the green.”

I’m proposing that you turn St. Patrick’s Day into a ten-day event. Plan by starting a week out March 11th and run it through the following weekend March 21st.

What makes this work is that ev-

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eryone is Irish on St Patrick’s Day. You can design an Irish themed menu with one fish entrée, a chicken entrée, a vegetable entrée and of course corned beef and cabbage. Have some fun with your Irish menu how about corned beef egg rolls and St Patrick’s Wings serve both with spicy green dipping sauce. I am also suggesting that the celebration continue by offering a Irish Breakfast Special for lunch(Eggs , venetian beans grilled tomato, black & white pudding small slice, home fries, toast & Irish bacon).

In addition, to the return of indoor dining, legislators have given the goahead for limited catering. How about celebrating the focus on vaccination

Gerry Murphy is a culinary consultant, inventor, and accomplished professional leader offering 35 years’ experience in Culinary Consulting with expertise inRestaurant Operations, Live Cooking Competitions, Certification Consultations, Budget & Finance Administration, Personnel Management, and Project Management. He can be reached at chefgerard@aol.com.

with themed off-prep catering. Offer to customers a catered Vaccine Party’s at their home. Setup the ground rules so that one is allowed into the hosts home without proof of vaccine.

March means Spring Fever. Listen to the Wether forecast and one day before the weather gets nice, decorate your restaurant with spring plants and flowers all over your establishment.

Don’t forget that you are only as good as your team. So sit down with your team and figure out what you learned from the challenges of the last year (Takeout & Delivery/Outdoor Dining) and how you can adopt them permanently. Continue to rely on your IT specialist to dissect all your previous sales data. The goal is for you and your culinary team to make informed menu decisions.

Bottom line is to stay on top of the rate of vaccine continue to be the local cheer leader and usher this terrible time away for our beautiful city. Let everyone know you are alive and well and looking forward to welcoming back your guests and team.

Find Chef Murphys’ Recipe for Special Corned Beef Brisket or Beef Round below. Reach out to your local Chefs Warehouse, at the Allen Brothers Meat Department.

continued on page 92

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NEWS

RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT

CHARMELLO TABBED TO TAKE KITCHEN REINS OF DRIFTHOUSE BY DAVID BURKE

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fter owning many awardwinning restaurants and being a celebrated chef himself, David Burke knows a winning combination when he sees one. Previously, he has announced that the Drifthouse by David Burke’s menu is taking a new direction: Coastal Italian-Mediterranean cuisine known for using only the best seasonal bounties of land and sea, locally and globally.

Now, Burke is certain he has the right chef on board and is pleased to introduce Executive Chef Toni Charmello, who will lead the way for the Jersey Shore’s most exciting dining experience!

“Chef Toni is the only female to lead one of my kitchens,” said Burke.

“She has the experience, talent, noexcuses attitude and leadership skills to take Drifthouse on its new course with our refreshed Coastal ItalianMediterranean menu.”

While Charmello is somewhat new to the Jersey Shore, she is not new to delivering a world-class dining experience, or to Chef Burke. Charmello, whose most recent culinary leadership roles were at the highly regarded Eno Terra in Kingston and Albarino in Shrewsbury — both restaurants are part of the Terra Momo Restaurant Group. Earlier in her career Charmello was a chef at David Burke Tavern, Burke’s flagship restaurant in New York City.

Charmello began her career as a chef after she left a successful career in the healthcare field. Her culinary journey began by attending the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City.

Shortly after graduating, Charmello worked at David Burke Tavern in the city, but after a few years left due to the burdensome commute, to take her

chef’s position in New Jersey.

Like many of the chefs who have worked for Burke throughout his three-decade career, Charmello maintained contact through the years. “I saw he continued to open restaurants during the pandemic and I sent him a text wishing him a Happy New Year,” she said. “He invited me to discuss an open chef’s position. I welcomed the opportunity to carry out the David Burke brand while being able to create a new concept. It’s exciting.”

Charmello said her team will create a dining experience that expresses the rural Italian tradition of an “enoteca,” which focuses on a holistic regional dining experience, one in which wine plays a pivotal role.

“We will specialize in family-owned Italian vineyards, but will also carry labels from the U.S and other notable wine regions from around the world,” Charmello said. In typical Burke fash-

Chef Toni Charmello

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“She has the experience, talent, no-excuses attitude and leadership skills to take Drifthouse on its new course with our refreshed Coastal Italian-Mediterranean menu.” — David Burke ion, he has that unique ability to understand the needs of his customer base. With that in mind, the restaurant will waive corkage fees for customers with private wine collections.

But, she explained, an enoteca dining experience often begins with the wine that expresses the geography and traditions from where the grapes originate.

For example, Drifthouse will be featuring wines from the Apulia region of Italy known for its coastline and farmlands. Charmello also plans to

add salumi and fromage boards to the menu using some heralded local charcuterie and cheeses from New Jersey.

Already on the menu are house-made pastas along with some of Burke’s signature dishes like Short Rib and Cavatelli.

To launch the new menu and to celebrate the enoteca experience, Sunday and Wednesday is Lobster & Oyster Night featuring $12 lobster dishes and $1.50 oysters. Drifthouse has its own custom-made lobster tank and oyster spa, keeping the shellfish at optimum freshness in cold, salt water mimicking the very waters where they were harvested — the lobsters from Maine and a variety of the oysters right from New Jersey’s very own Barnegat Oyster Collective along with other East and West Coast oysters.

The Stavola family, who own and operate the Driftwood Cabana Club where Drifthouse is located since 1957, partnered with world-renowned celebrity Burke in March 2018 to open Drifthouse by David Burke. The seaside restaurant immediately received rave reviews — “Best New Restaurant” by both NJ Monthly and Star Ledger.

The restaurant has remained open throughout the pandemic when state mandates allowed.

“This is the perfect next step for my career,” Charmello explained. “I have the experience to take the restaurant in the direction of David’s vision. “

March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 79

RESTAURANT STRATEGIES

WITH RYAN GROMFIN

ARE YOU CLEARING THE PATH FOR YOUR TEAM?

I

t might seem obvious what a restaurant manager does to you, but I have some very different opinions on the subject of what a successful manager does to make them successful.

I will never forget when I got my first job as a manager in a 5-star hotel. Part of me was thinking wow, I’ve made it! I get to tell other people what to do and my team will respect me because my name was on a business card. Finally, I will get paid more to do less. Boy, that couldn’t have been farther from the truth and I learned that lesson the hard way.

MANAGERS HELP OTHER SUCCEED To be an effective manager, you have to support the people around

To be an effective manager, you have to support the people around you.

You have to lift them up. You have to make their job easier. you. You have to lift them up. You have to make their job easier.

I love this quote from PayPal executive Maria Shi, “I measure my own success as a leader by how well the people who work for me succeed.”

So, how do you help those around you succeed? You have to create a smooth and clear path that is free of obstacles.

MANAGERS BULLDOZERS

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ARE

LIKE

I like to think of managers as bulldozers.

Your team is behind you. They literally have your back and are grinding it out daily by doing the work that is needed to run a successful restaurant.

And then in front of you are all of the problems in your restaurant.

Taunting you. Nagging you.

Your job: clear the path.

You are the bulldozer that chugs through and pushes all of the prob-

Ryan Gromfin is an author, speaker, chef, restaurateur, and founder of therestaurantboss.com, clickbacon. com, and scalemyrestaurant. com. He is the most followed restaurant coach in the world helping Restaurant Owners and Operators increase profits, improve operations, and scale and grow their businesses.

lems out of the way so your team can follow behind and get the work done without any obstacles to their success.

That does not mean you do their tasks for them. Instead, it means to supply them with the knowledge and the tools they need so they can do their tasks.

On a recent business trip, I caught a documentary on the hotel TV about the Donner Party. For those of you unfamiliar with the story, the Donner Party was a group of American pioneers who in 1846 migrated by wagon from the midwest to California on the Oregon Trail.

This journey usually took four to six months, but the Donner Party chose to follow a new route that was supposed to be shorter. Much to their dismay, they encountered rugged terrain that had not been cleared of brush or had trails that had been established by other wagon travellers.

Their wagons could not get through and they struggled. The group lost most of their cattle and many of their wagons, eventually resorting to travel by foot. Because of the path’s difficulty to travel, many of the Donner Party perished in a bitterly cold winter.

I love this analogy because your job as a manager is to be the person that cuts down the brush and smooths the trail so your team has a clear path to success. If your team is successful, YOU will be successful!

CHAIN OF SUPPORT As an example, the dishwasher makes sure the cooks have what they need. The cooks make sure that the Chef has what he/she needs.

The Chef makes sure that the managers/owners have what they need.

If we give the person above us what they need to do their job, they will be able to give the person above them what they need, etc. You are creating a chain of support.

As a manager, you get pressure from people on all sides — not just from the people above or below you.

You can often feel squeezed and out of control; left wishing you had a chain of support. This is probably the greatest challenge of being a manager.

This solution? CLEAR THE PATH. When you remove the obstacles, such as missing ingredients, poorly prepped stations, or faulty equipment, your team will be able to do their jobs as successfully as possible. If your servers and cooks are successful, your restaurant will be successful. If your restaurant is successful, YOU will be successful!

March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 81

COCKTAILS TO-GO FOR THE WIN

WITH FRANCINE COHEN

SPRING INTO A NEW (OR RENEWED) CAREER AS DISCUS ACADEMY DEBUTS ITS PROGRAM FOR THE SPIRITS INDUSTRY

M

arch might have this reputation for coming in like a lion and leaving like a lamb, but the most important thing to remember about March is that March 20th is the first official day of spring. No matter where you live in this country, even if you’ve already started seeing buds popping and flowers opening, there’s something incredibly special about the on-the-calendar first spring day that brings a fresh sense

of hope and renewal to our existence.

After the year we have just had, a fresh look at things is both welcome and necessary. That’s why the timing couldn’t be any better for the announcement of DISCUS ACADEMY, the new spirits and hospitality industry education center from longtime industry advocates at the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

After recognizing that the in-

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dustry lacked a real institution for learning about the business of the spirits business the Academy was designed to provide education and training for distilled spirits industry professionals. A year and a half’s worth of work involving multiple working groups of industry leaders led the Academy to produce a curriculum and industry-recognized certifications related to the business of distilling, rather than training on production or spirits knowledge—a first of its kind.

Chris Swonger, President of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) explains, “Of course our first job is to get bars and restaurants back open. But then you have to look at DISCUS Academy as it pertains to long term sustainability.”

He continues, “We looked around and noticed there was a lot of education around the production of spirits. And great organizations like the USBG and Tales are also offering important education. So, in addi-

Francine Cohen is an awardwinning journalist covering the business of the f&b/hospitality industry, and a proud native Washingtonian (DC). In addition to her work as a journalist she keeps busy fundraising for Citymeals on Wheels, Les Dames d’Escoffier, NY Women’s Culinary Alliance, and the USBG Foundation and serves as chief storyteller and brand steward for clients in the food and beverage sector by providing them with strategic marketing and business growth guidance.

She has never met a cheese or beverage she does not like, and lives with her husband in New York; leaving him behind to visit New Orleans every summer.

(Except this one. Darn pandemic.) You can reach her at francinecohen@mindspring.com

tion to doing what we can to help get everyone open again, and support ongoing education, we looked around to see where there were gaps or holes we could look to fill. One of the things we tried to do with the DISCUS Academy is not supplant anybody or be duplicative.”

Sarah Fitzmaurice, Chief of Resource Planning and Management at the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States notes that the program unfolded naturally out of initiatives the organization had undertaken for a while, “For many years we’ve done a fire protection manual and the advertising code, so for a long time DISCUS has been a leader in providing guidance and education on some of these issues. It was natural to expand into these areas.”

The program is created to provide the spirits industry with best-inclass training and ongoing support in five key subject domains: Leadership Development; Business Management & Finance; Sales & Marketing; Safety & Risk Management; and Laws & Regulations, and courses are

continued on page 90

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LAURA CRAVEN

from page 8

the same bag, you’re going to end up with a wilted mess and an unhappy customer. You also need to address how to manage customer curbside pick-up and third-party delivery personnel and what supplies you’ll need to help identify orders, such as labels.

Over the last several months, packaging costs have become challenging.

Pricing for plastic products, notably polypropylene, has soared not only as the result of increased demand but a combination of other factors.

The perfect storm started earlier in Spring of 2020 when manufacturing and production facilities in Asia and the Middle East were shut down due to COVID. This was followed by escalating base raw material costs coupled with skyrocketing energy and transportation costs. Then, speaking of the perfect storm, extreme winter weather pummeled the country last month and shut down refineries and petrochemical plants in Texas, an area that accounts for about 80 to 85% of US polypropylene production.

These price increases are impacting operators because polypropylene or PP, resin ID code 5, is a very popular material for hot food containers. The containers are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and are heat resistant, microwavable and top-rack dishwasher safe.

Of course, there are a variety of other raw material options beyond polypropylene that food service operators can choose from today including several types of plastic, paperboard, foil, and even plant-based materials. Each type of material has unique properties and are suited for specific applications.

SHAKE SHACK

Polyethylene terephthalate or PET, resin ID code 1, is typically used for cold cups and cold food containers and has excellent clarity. It is the most recycled type of resin and is familiar as it is used to make water bottles. CPET, or crystalized PET, can be used for hot foods and is microwavable.

Polystyrene or PS, resin ID code 6 is another material that is ideal for containers used for cold food. Modified polystyrene or PM can used for hot applications and is microwavable and top-rack dishwasher safe.

Most operators are very familiar with expanded polystyrene aka foam.

It’s extremely economical and good at maintaining temperatures both hot and cold. Foam cups don’t condense like paper or plastic cups can in warm weather. When it comes to hinged-lid containers, foam is best for drier items due to the lack of a tight lid fit. Operators do need to keep in mind that many municipalities have banned foam packaging for environmental reasons.

A popular option for those who prefer more sustainable options is polylactic acid or PLA, resin code 7. PLA looks and feels like PET and is great for cold applications. It is usually made from corn starch and it is compostable.

Paperboard packaging used to manufacture folded takeout boxes is an economical option and appeals to those wanting to reduce single-use plastics. It lacks some features, including a tight lid fit and temperature control, but can be good for certain items.

Molded fiber pulp packaging has grown popularity. It was gaining trac-

tion prior to COVID as operators were looking for environmentally friendly solutions. It’s made from renewable fibers such as bamboo or bagasse, a biproduct of sugar cane. Many of these pulp items are certified compostable.

This material is best suited for food that will be consumed quickly. After about 30 minutes, the packaging tends to become soggy. So, it’s not an ideal choice for a wet, hot meal like spaghetti and meatballs.

Finally, we have seen the return of foil, which has been around for a long time. We all know the traditional foil rounds with the cardboard tops. There are also upscale options in a variety of shapes with black and gold bases and clear lids. These work great for hot foods such as lasagna and you can remove the top and pop into the oven to reheat.

With so many packaging options it can be overwhelming to decide what items are best for your operation and budget. You can make it simpler by working with your distributor. Start by reviewing all your packaging and nonfood supplies. Maybe that brand of container you’ve been using for years can be replaced by something new on the market that will perform equally and have a 30% cost savings. It is likely you have alternatives!

Also, look at the sizes of products you use for each menu item. You may find that you are using too large a container and can save money by rightsizing. A few cents here and there can add up very quickly when your takeout volume is large. There may also be savings hiding in supplies like napkins or cleaning chemicals. Be open to al-

ternative products, ask your distributor sales representative for options.

Cost savings can also come from offering some items on demand. When customers eat your food at home, they may not need wrapped cutlery and napkins.

Finally, there are strategies and marketing concepts you can borrow from supermarkets and c-stores. Consider creating meal kit options and turning them into interactive opportunities with branded recipe cards or YouTube instructional videos created by your chef. Offer special deals for customers to purchase multiple meal kits or ready-to-heat family-size meals. If you have specialty sauces, barbecue rubs, or salad dressings, bottle them and merchandise them. Don’t forget to use that legislation that enables restaurant to sell cocktails to go. There are handy carafes available to make your margaritas or sangria easy to transport.

As you go through the process of developing a packaging and supply program, allocate your spend carefully ensuring a quality experience at home for your patrons. Think in terms of good, better, best. With a $35 lamb chop dinner, invest in that top-quality meal container with compartments for sides. Then use the good to better level products for your basic staples such as films, foils, napkins, straws, cutlery, portion cups, etc. so you can stay within that industry benchmark of 5% of revenue for packaging and related items.

The foodservice experts at Imperial Dade are available to help! Call us today and we’ll set up an in person or virtual packaging and supplies review.

cial events. Shake Shack has frequently been the headlining restaurant at The Infatuation’s EEEEEATSCON food festival in Santa Monica, CA and Forest Hills, NY. Rosati is known for creating exclusive burger and shake collaborations local restaurants for the festival. In 2018 he collaborated with Brooklyn’s Emily restaurant to create a Shack-style burger topped with Amer-

ican cheese, a special “Emmy” sauce and caramelized onions. The burger was so popular that tickets for the event sold out one week in advance, and it was described as a “mash-up of pizza and burger flavors” and “transcendent”. In 2019 he collaborated with Petit Trois in Santa Monica and Uncle Boons in Forest Hills.

Today, there are 275 Shake Shack

locations throughout the world. Quite a success story from humble beginnings in July 2004 when Danny Meyer won the bid and was able to convert the hot dog cart into a permanent, kiosk-style fast food restaurant. Shake Shack served gourmet hamburgers, hot dogs, crinkle-cut french fries, and milkshakes under the umbrella of the Union Square Hospitality Group.

from page 4

includes Houston’s Chris Shepherd, April 8th in Atlanta and New York with Pinky Cole, May 6th in New York with Junghyun Park, June 17th in Chicago with Sarah Grueneberg, July 22nd in SanFrancisco with Dominique Crenn and Sept. 23rd in New York with JJ Johnson.

Under Rosati’s tutelage, Shake Shack has collaborated in a number of spe-

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FIORITO ON INSURANCE increased fraudulent activities during these uncertain times.

Throughout the pandemic, there has been an uptick in social engineering fraud, primarily email phishing scams where a fraudulent email intended to have the victim either wire funds directly or open a URL/attachment that installs malicious software on the victim’s computer. They can also make a phony request for a wire transfer, W-2 forms or other sensitive information from the compromised email account.

These demands are often made in an urgent or time sensitive manner and often seem very legitimate and convincing.

The initial concern after such an event often focuses on the amount of stolen funds. However, there could be an even greater threat since these incidents often involve the compromise of personally identifiable information, which can be later used for identity theft of multiple people.

Fortunately, the insurance industry has developed policies that can

DAVID SCOTT PETERS plus total labor costs, including taxes, benefits and insurance. I teach restaurant owners to shoot for a 55 percent prime cost – not the national average of 65 percent – and that you can run a higher food cost, lower labor costs, or a higher labor cost with a lower food cost. It doesn’t matter how you get to those 55 points.

Using a budget allows you to set your plan in progress for how you’re going to lower your food cost to where your food cost needs to be. For example, you can put the Key Item Tracker, Waste Tracker and the Restaurant Checkbook Guardian in place to reduce your food cost by three points right out of the gate. You do need to train everyone one month and then hold them accountable the next because it’s not a post-it-and-forget-it set of systems. But these three simple systems start working right away.

Recipe costing cards are the second most important system for a restau-

from page 16 transfer these risks. Crime insurance policies can cover fraudulent funds transfers while cyber insurance policies may cover costs related to unauthorized access of protected or sensitive information. However, the insurance buyer needs to be wary of various policy terms and coverage limitations. For example, some crime policies can contain exclusionary language for cases involving voluntary transfer of funds, even though they were unknowingly transferred to a criminal. Other insurers might add policy language to crime or cyber policies to cover this situation.

Working with a knowledgeable insurance specialist, who understands these emerging risk and compliance exposures and negotiates coverage that is customized towards your needs, is key in procuring protection and preventing additional disruption to your business.

1-2: https://info.usablenet. com/2020-report-on-digital-accessibility-lawsuits

from page 56 rant, next to the budget, but it may take you four months to do recipe cards so you can figure out what your ideal food cost is based on no waste, no theft and no spoilage. Once you have those, though, you can use menu engineering techniques and consider raising prices, changing products on some items, reducing portions, adding new items, removing items, etc.

The important thing is you’ll be making these decisions based on real data – not your gut. Any of these things can be part of the work to lower your food cost.

With minimum wage coming up on a federal level soon and a pandemic you need to recover from, you need to run a profitable restaurant. Now that we’ve busted these two harmful myths, you can start your journey to lowering your food cost. You can create a plan and use this short list of systems to be on your way to a profitable restaurant.

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SPRAGUE ON MARKETING which falls in line with the radius defaults for third-party delivery partners, such as GrubHub/Uber Eats/DoorDash, etc. If you already have an established base who you market to and are looking to replace those who move with a new mover campaign, we can provide that list as well. You can also bring your own list and communicate loyalty offers and rewards programs directly to your loyal customers. Personally, I believe having control of the way you reach and communicate with your audience is vital and having a way to collect audience data through your own site will make marketing to them easier and less expensive in the future - we don’t know which of these delivery services will survive the test of time.

The second step we suggest is creating an offer that will engage that potential customer base. We’ve found a much greater return with an offer that either takes a percentage of the total dollar amount off or gives away a free food product (dessert/breadsticks etc.). Everybody wants a deal, and, at Mail Shark, we have created a restaurant coupon guide to point our clients in the right direction. It enables them to create the best deals to offer their customers, ensuring maximum returns for their mail campaigns. These menus and coupons get put on the fridge or in a drawer, and customers continue to use them for takeout or delivery even years after receiving the mail. I do this myself and find reviewing the menu from my go-to pizzeria that’s on my fridge a far easier experience than using a thirdparty delivery service - it also costs less and gets to my house faster and in better condition!

One of the keys to generating a successful restaurant marketing strategy is to create a marketing calendar in advance. We encourage all our clients to plan out their direct mail marketing over 4 or more campaigns spanning 12 months, which allows them to “set it and forget it,” leaving our team to check in to get each campaign setup and executed at the right time reducing the workload on our clients. It also makes sense to merge your entire media mix - email, social media, direct

from page 64 mail, etc. - into one calendar for consistency and appropriate timing and execution.

Once we have the calendar in place, we can then work with you to select the right Direct Mail products. This may include menus, scratch-offs, postcards, magnets, etc., all of which remind customers to visit your restaurant, ultimately increasing business and interaction. We encourage all of our takeout and delivery clients to pair our magnet with a local team’s sports schedule and find that consumers love to keep these, which increases your total return on the product - generating more sales over time.

The success of customer engagement relies on the right media mix.

A new pizza shop has no reputation - how do they get customers? Direct mail has a bigger impact, and its disruption is more effective than any form of digital advertising. You can buy an email list and start sending emails and start sharing ads and posts on social networks, but you will get an abysmal response for your new restaurant if you rely on those digital tactics to get it off the ground. But direct mail will get customers in the door, and from there, you can encourage repeat business with box toppers, collect customer data for your own lists, encourage them to follow you on social for news, promos, and special events - all ways to keep your new customers engaged and remembering you.

Keep your direct mail campaigns going because it can take 7 to 18 or more marketing touches to get someone to give you a try, and this number is increasing as more and more businesses are beginning to do all forms of digital advertising.

There’s no question that the pandemic has turned takeout and delivery into a permanent revenue stream for successful restaurants across the country. With that, restaurant operators need to rethink how they attract and maintain customers. We are convinced that it begins with a battle for their attention and taking advantage of their technology fatigue. Pizzerias can win that battle with a creative return to Direct Mail. We are here to help.

LEGAL INSIDER

from page 54

scheduled to work, and, as a result, the employee begins and ends the work day over a period exceeding ten hours, “spread of hours” concerns may arise.

Spread of hours is governed in New York by the Hospitality Wage Order.

For example, if the time spent at the vaccination site is considered part of the employee’s work day, he or she may be entitled to one hour’s pay at the minimum wage for a “spread of hours” violation if the start and end of their work day exceeds ten hours.

Conclusion While individual circumstances and risk tolerance will inform whether an employer should implement a mandatory vaccination policy, for the reasons set forth above, the most riskaverse approach for employers at this time is to encourage, but not mandate, employee vaccinations. Restaurants implementing a policy that encourages, but does not mandate the vaccination, may be tempted to offer cash bonuses or additional paid time off to

encourage employees to get vaccinated. While restaurants may compensate employees for the time it takes to get vaccinated, even on a day off, restaurants are limited in what they may offer as incentives. The EEOC has advised that incentives may only be small items such as a water bottle or a sticker.

In addition to the considerations set forth above, there are numerous potential issues that may arise from mandatory vaccination policies. For example, a waitress at a Brooklyn eatery was recently terminated for refusing vaccination due to her belief that the vaccine would cause infertility. Mandatory vaccination policies may lead to similar, as-yet-unknown claims. Notably, state and local governments may pass additional legislation that could alter the analysis. Consequently, restaurants should consult with counsel concerning the latest guidance to determine the most effective and appropriate policy for their business.

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TREND TALK

SCOOP

from page 22

what Nneji has to offer. My mother taught at Long Island City High School for several decades and her familiarity with the area is a great asset.

You want to make African food mainstream. Beyond Nneji, what are your goals toward accomplishing this?

With Nneji, IBARI Astoria, and IBARI Roosevelt Island, we hope to encourage robust conversations around common food traditions in Africa, the Mediterranean, and beyond. We focus on sourcing sustainably, adding menu items with the highest nutritional benefits and presenting traditional dishes to a wider audience. At Nneji, we offer a wide variety of international pantry items: palm oil, broken rice, garri, amala, fonio, and more. We hope that visitors to our locations who are in search of home decor, hot soups, and grains, will continue their experience in their own kitchens, with their own cooking.

Where do you source ingredients and supplies? Distributor?

Gold Coast Trading is the backbone of our West African supply chain. Every item from the melon seed for our famous egusi soup to the ever-loved Ghana Malt drink and ethnic spices from every region in Africa can be found there. Access to West African power grains like fonio and garri is only possible through their support.

Here in Astoria, Rose & Joe’s has been a tremendous source of support to us, particularly during the height of the pandemic. We are grateful for their willingness to share a very long and cherished tradition of bread-making from Sicily. One look at the map shows a straight line to the shared heritage between Africa and this part of Italy.

Our work with Rose & Joe’s has helped us and our visitors remember these important cultural connections as examples of the connections that we see all around the world. On Roosevelt Island, each Saturday, this has helped neighbors from Bulgaria, Burundi, Brooklyn, and beyond connect through a common love of high-quality bread.

Highlight one or more equipment

brand name that’s essential to your operations.

Our pastry case is made by Marchia and allows us to present fresh Greek and Sicilian pastries. This will be the home for our Nigerian savory items as well. It is quiet, easy to operate, and more spacious than you think.

What have you done to improve delivery and take-out? Do you partner with any services?

We use GrubHub and UberEats throughout the week and take pick-up orders via phone. GrubHub allows us to reach customers in the Astoria area, while UberEats is one of the few platforms that allows for drivers to cross the bridge to Roosevelt Island to deliver to our neighbors.

How your experience in opening Nneji been, so far? Also, you also have a strong commitment to give back to your community--tell us more about this.

From the moment we signed our first lease at IBARI on 23rd Avenue, the warm reception of our neighbors blew us away. We quickly made new friends and met neighboring businesses. When we opened Nneji in 34th Avenue, our first customer was the owner Best Pizza next door. Many customers were interested in the food and gave us very encouraging remarks as we worked through the pandemic.

I feel very inspired because of this reception. For me, it begins with sharing the cultures of Africa and making myself available to engage with customers, reconnect with them, and discuss their past experiences in the Continent. It is very important to me that everyone feels welcome at Nneji, especially those who have never tried West African food before. We are part of the larger conversation on sustainability.

We are aware of the food needs of our neighbors and contribute hundreds of meals through local organizations, as well as working with Queens Together and Save Our Storefront (SOS) so that programs and funding can be directed towards helping our doors stay open and keeping our workers from the economic disaster that the pandemic has brought on us all.

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INSIDER NEWS, from page 72

guests drove us to develop new and exciting menu items and create multiple delivery methods for guests to experience all we have to offer - all while heightening our dedication to safety and our commitment to the communities we serve. I am confident we have the focus, tools and teams to continue the tremendous growth this next year and beyond.”

CHICKEN SALAD CHICK TO ADD 40 NEW LOCATIONS IN 2021 The fast-growing eatery opened 37 restaurants in key target markets throughout 2020 – including seven in Texas, five in Georgia, three in Louisiana, two in Arkansas and its first-ever location in Indiana – resulting in a 22% increase in unit count year-over-year.

The brand also signed nine franchise agreements to develop 23 new restaurants during the next several years in states such as North Carolina, Virginia and Louisiana.

Chicken Salad Chick is reporting $175.1 million in systemwide sales, a 17.1% increase over 2019.

“This year will go down in history as one of the most challenging that the

restaurant industry has ever faced; to say that we are deeply humbled and grateful for what we’ve been able to accomplish would be an understatement,” said Scott Deviney, CEO of Chicken Salad Chick. “From feeding thousands of essential workers on the frontline to renting refrigerated trucks and delivering our chicken salad in bulk to local communities – none of our success would be possible without our creative and talented franchise owners, employees and corporate team, as well as our devoted and loyal guests.”

In response to the pandemic and the closures of restaurant dining rooms across the country in early 2020, Chicken Salad Chick mobilized its operations and pivoted to an off-premise dining model that included takeout, drive-thru, curbside pickup and thirdparty delivery at select locations. For locations without prototypical drivethrus, the company and its franchise owners instituted pop-up drive-thrus, as well as devised a community dropoff program where preorders of preportioned one-pound and half-pound containers of Chicken Salad Chick’s 12 chicken salad flavors, called Quick Chicks, could be collected and then delivered in bulk to designated communities on a scheduled day.

A fresh made signature sandwich from Chicken Salad Chick

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FRANCINE COHEN

from page 82

available to DISCUS members and non-members alike at cost-efficient pricing, with some in the program even available for free.

For those further on in their careers in hospitality, the Academy has forged a partnership with Cornell University, to offer two Leadership Development programs that provide professionals of varying leadership experience education tailored to their career stage.

For the first time in the industry a roadmap to go from bartender to brand manager and beyond has been drawn. Successfully navigating a career path in a way that best suits individuals is easy and affordable with remote classes that enable students to take a few years to finish their program that can be personally tailored to finishing a certificate in one of the tracks or via a selfdirected survey of various classes offered. All certificates require a mandatory diversity, management,

and responsibility course.

Examples of upcoming course content include: • Fire Protection Best Practices • Risk Management • Foundation on the 3-Tier System • Developing a Safety Program • Understanding Financial Statements & Cash Flow Management • Organizational Structure, Job descriptions & Compensation • Trade Practice and TiedHouse Considerations Armed with this specific knowledge, and the topics covered in all of the courses, future employees to feel more confident to apply at spirits companies. Courtney McKee, CEO of Headframe Spirits and chair of the DISCUS Academy Curriculum Working Group, shares, “The Academy’s curriculum was

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designed by leaders in our industry who are experts — some legends — in their craft. Through the DISCUS Academy, we’ve created a broad series of courses that will serve as a masterclass in their respective subject areas and made them available through an easy-to-access online learning platform for available to everyone in our industry. We believe providing this education will foster a safer, financially healthier, and more diverse and inclusive industry.

We know that the better each of us does, the better we all do together, and we’re proud to work in service of that vision.”

Beyond benefits for students of the program, the industry itself will benefit, seeing stronger and more informed talent pools. Career changers who bring skills from another industry can easily brush up on spirits industry specifics through the Academy, whether they do it on their own or as part of a structured

onboarding program offered upon hiring. Swonger points out, “This industry is very complex in terms of regulations, so offering courses that help provide basic knowledge opens a lot of avenues for folks, thereby widening that hiring pool.”

It also speaks, long-term, to a more diverse industry. In reflecting on the large number of female and BIPOC spirits industry workers who were displaced during the pandemic, Fitzmaurice and her DISCUS colleagues expect that many may turn to the DISCUS Academy to increase their knowledge and find new career opportunities within the industry they love. As may others who found the pandemic drove a need for reevaluation and career re-imagination. She concludes with a thought about the future of the spirits industry and the role the Academy will play, “Adding some diversity to the spirits industry talent pool is really beneficial for everyone.”

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GRUBHUB NYU

from page 60

so that students could get $0 delivery and make their credits go as far as possible. Since the quarantine situation was evolving minute by minute, we sent out credits and Grubhub+ memberships in a very agile way on very tight timelines – often nights and weekends. The quarantine was chasing Covid, and we were chasing the quarantine.”

The NYU rollout has given Grubhub a high-profile stage to showcase its flexibility in non-traditional venues including colleges and universities. “We’ve partnered with campuses to provide digital ordering for more than five years, first as Tapingo, whose technology was integrated into the Grubhub app following our 2018 acquisition. Over the years, we’ve continued to add new features and capabilities, including a residential dining pass and reservation screen

GERRY MURPHY

life Post-Covid. “We are always identifying areas of opportunity for how we can best serve students at universities across the country, and Grubhub Campus Dining is one way we do this,” Ir stated. “In addition to the gift card program that we implemented for NYU students, hundreds of universities in the U.S., including NYU, have partnered with us to offer this program to its students — enabling them to link their Grubhub account to their school meal plan, giving them the flexibility to order their favorite foods ahead of time on the mobile app and skip long lines.”

In addition, the Pandemic has changed the role that Grubhub plays in the restaurant and foodservice marketplace. “COVID turned everything on its head, including food delivery, and we worked quickly to roll out new features and support mea-

sures to help restaurants, drivers and diners,” Ir continued. In 2020, the company created the Grubhub Community Relief Fund which raised over $15 million last year, to support restaurants, drivers and those in need impacted by COVID-19.

Grubhub devoted hundreds of millions of dollars to drive more business to its restaurant partners and develop products and procedures to help keep drivers, diners and restaurant workers safe. Grubhub partnered with the Restaurant Strong Fund to offer hundreds of restaurants $10,000 grants to help winterize their facilities. They also launched the Plating Change program in partnership with Marcus Lemonis and World Central Kitchen to support local restaurants across the country and help those facing food insecurity.

1. In a stockpot, combine the water, salt, sugar, and celery powder.

2. Purée the garlic and pickling spice in a blender with about 1 cup of the brine. Combine the puréed mixture with the brine.

3. Bring the brine to a boil. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.

4. Inject each piece with brine about 16 ounces per piece .

5.Place the meat in a brining tub

or bag and add enough brine to completely submerge it. Keep it completely below the surface. Brine the meat under refrigeration for three days (or longer, if less salt is used).

6. After brining is complete, thoroughly rinse the meat.

7. Place it in a stockpot. Add enough water to cover the meat. Simmer for 30 minutes, then drain and rinse again.

8. Cover again with water and any additional spices for flavoring, if de-

sired. Simmer for three hours, or until tender.

9. Save cooking liquid for cooking cabbage and potatoes 10. Remove from the water. If using brisket, split it in half, following the natural separation between the cap and brisket. Trim excess fat, slice, and serve. It may also be cooled, wrapped, and refrigerated for up to two weeks.

Reheat by slicing the meat thinly and sautéing

of your equipment and seeing what the manufacturer recommends for water conditions is a great next step.

This will help you determine the current status of your water (after you have tested your water conditions) and where you need it to be for your specified equipment.

This next step is choosing what water filter system to use for your equipment; a vital step. Sorting through the seemingly endless water treatment solutions can be difficult. As with anything, finding

what works and won’t work for your situation can be trial and error. Asking your equipment manufacturer, technician or local service group is a smart idea, as they will be knowledgeable about what other kitchens in your area use that work well.

The final step in determining the right water filter is installing and monitoring. Monitor the equipment and water for the first 4-6 months, or until the first change out. If the equipment runs with no water issues (examples include bad tasting

espresso, scale build up in ice machine, etc) then you have a successful water filter and now you will only have to keep up with planned maintenance for the equipment’s health.

If the water filter system does not work as specified, then you should go back to the manufacturer and see what the issue could be, or what the right solution could be. Picking the right filter system can be daunting, but is extremely important for equipment health and for saving money in the long run!

from page 76

Murphy’s CORNED BEEF Ingredients: For each 10-pound brisket or beef round 1½ gallons water for brine, additional for later simmering 1 to 1¼ pounds kosher salt 5 ounces granulated sugar 3½ ounces celery powder 3 garlic cloves 1 tablespoon crushed pickling spice Method:

FEDD GROUP

on the Grubhub Campus Dining app.

This feature allows campuses to limit the number of people in dining halls at once to allow for social distancing – something that’s key to keeping students and staff safe on campus during COVID.” The program has also produced data that outlines the types of food that students are favoring as they use Grubhub every day at NYU. “We took a look at what students were ordering from September 2020 - December 2020, and all signs pointed to students craving classic college food – especially foods with cheese!” The top five most frequently ordered foods were: 1. Cheese pizza, 2. Mac and cheese, 3.Mozzarella sticks, 4. Grilled cheese and 5. Chicken quesadilla.

Grubhub has plans to take what the company has learned from its’ work with Chartwells and NYU to campout

from page 46

difference. Your neighbor right across the street may have excellent water quality, but you may find yours to be absolutely terrible (I have experienced this many times). Making sure that the water going into your food equipment is filtered properly for your water conditions is essential. Administering a water test, whether through your municipality or through a third party lab, can prove to be helpful to determining what you will need to keep your equipment safe. Making a list

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UP N’ GO

from page 20

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, QR codes existed for years before they caught on, but they’re not a fad and are here to stay.”

In addition to the ease of payment for customers, savvy operators have embraced the tension that Up n’ go alleviates for their waitstaffs. “With many states still limiting indoor dining capacity, the value of each table turn to the bottom line has been magnified,” Barman added. “Table availability is at even more of a premium than before the pandemic, and now it’s a widespread problem, and not just one for busy restaurants.”

The time savings for staff not having to make that extra trip to the table,

ICE MACHINES

Up n’ go’s growth has also been built on its ability to listen to changing needs of its customer base. With so much dependence on Takeout & Delivery through the Pandemic, the Golden State firm launched Text-thecheck™. “This lets servers text the check to a diner just by entering the guest’s mobile phone number into the restaurant’s point of sale system,” Barman noted.

Text-the-check™ is used primarily when guests call-in to place to-go orders, but also has applications in drive-thru environments and inside the restaurant. The service has been an immediate success with consumers – over 85 percent of guests who

receive a text with a secure Up n’ go payment link proceed to pay with their phones.

Up n’ go’s success has been driven by the comfort that smartphone users now have in completing transactions online for many aspects of daily life.

From confirming their vaccine appointments to ordering on Amazon or picking up dry cleaning the transition to contactless payment has been relatively seamless. “We created Up n’ go as a solution that we would want to use, and we’ve accomplished that,” Barman concluded.

clumps that result from an incomplete harvest cycle.

Checking your old ice maker’s water filters regularly helps to keep your flow rate where it needs to be. Manufacturers recommend that water filters are replaced at least twice a year, but it may need to be done more frequently in challenging environments.

Reliable Ice Machines for Every Business Follow these basic steps along with what your owner’s manual recommends to keep your old ice machine in the best possible shape. Remember, keep your unit in a climate-controlled environment, clean it regularly to avoid ice contamination, service it professionally at least twice a year, and use it properly. We make it easy

to extend the life of your ice machine so that you don’t have to worry about your business’ ice supply.

When you’re ready for new equipment, though, we’re here to help. Just give us a call on our 24/7 customer service line, and our team of experts will find you the perfect solution. Easy Ice has a variety of affordable options to meet all your ice-related needs!

customer experience.

What advice do you have for building an external team that can help an operator “get this right”?

You have to rely on the quality of the value chain you created before Covid. You need to make sure that those suppliers are going to be able to help your business innovate and be there when their demand restores. We covered much of this in our weekly collums and will continue to provide insights for our clients and industries future well-being.Keep in mind that many suppliers and manufacturers are going to offer special offers to help your restart. We are featuring very appealing lease options for any budget which include no fees for the initial 6 months inclusive of labor. We also

suggest conducting annual reviews of all suppliers to ensure they are outfitted to secure your success.

To learn more, visit the Up n’ go website at https://www.upngo.com/

from page 26

to make the right-sized and the right amount of ice cubes.

Most machines require a flow rate between 1-3 gallons per minute (gpm). Depending on size, they may require more, with larger ice machines needing up to 5 gpm. When the flow rate isn’t sufficient, your machine’s freeze and harvest cycles won’t function properly. You’ll notice small, malformed cubes or even larger ice

MATT SHER

and not having to charge five credit cards for a complicated split check are icing on the cake.

In case studies, restaurants using Up n’ go see guests leave on average 20 minutes sooner than when they pay a server directly. With enough parties waiting, the saved time leads to incremental, high margin revenue for restaurants. “We have a group of breakfast restaurants in Northeast: Turning Point. They have 19 locations serving breakfast, lunch and brunch.

We went to their Hoboken, NJ location to analyze two months of data.

We found that customers paying with Up n’ go paid an average of 20 minutes sooner.”

from page 52

well-being able to impact overall performance. If protecting our employees and customers, is something that will last for some time to come then masks will continue to make sense in an overall layered approach.

We are running a story this month about a new program that actually creates “a cleaning sommelier”.

Could this be what’s next?

When it comes to actively treating the air and surfaces, how could it not be part of a layered approach. That could be the next step from the impact of what is being called “Hygiene Theatre”. That’s where many restaurants are turning the cleaning and disinfecting process into part of the

We have so many restaurants scrambling to reopen dining rooms.

Can you walk us through a punch list for the kitchen, in order to do this properly?

Our fear is whether the supply chain is going to be able to meet the needs of the market. You could be looking at a surge with the demands of restaurants grossly outstripping supply. Our advice to our clients is to methodically reach out to your vendors as quickly as possible so that you can build an organized plan to protect your restaurant from what will assuredly be supply chain constraints.

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That’s a lot to digest. What advice do you have for the right first step?

Think, lead and first, determine how do we get ahead of the market and our competitors. Get that dining room and kitchen ready before everyone else. That will ensure that you are ready to meet the market and not miss the window of opportunity to provide hospitality when the market begins to scream for it.

There is so much pent-up demand and the flood gates will open. Will you be ready for it?

March 2021 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 95

SOCIETY FOR HOSPITALITY AND FOODSERVICE MANAGEMENT